﻿2 
  8o 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Virginia 
  rail, 
  but 
  decidedly 
  less 
  loud 
  and 
  vibrant. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  all 
  these 
  

   notes 
  both 
  sexes 
  have 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  short, 
  sharp 
  cries 
  which 
  they 
  give 
  when 
  

   startled 
  by 
  any 
  sudden 
  noise. 
  

  

  Coturnicops 
  noveboracensis 
  (Gmelin) 
  

  

  Yellow 
  Rail 
  

  

  Plate 
  26 
  

  

  Fulica 
  noveboracensis 
  Gmelin. 
  Syst. 
  Nat. 
  1788. 
  Ed. 
  i. 
  2:701 
  

   Ortygometra 
  noveboracensis 
  DeKay. 
  Zool.N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  263, 
  fig. 
  225 
  

   Porzana 
  noveboracensis 
  A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  215 
  

  

  cotur'nicops, 
  Lat. 
  coturnix, 
  quail; 
  Gr. 
  oi/', 
  face, 
  appearance; 
  novehoracen' 
  sis 
  , 
  

  

  of 
  New 
  York 
  

  

  Description. 
  Upper 
  parts 
  striped 
  with 
  brownish 
  yellow 
  and 
  blackish, 
  

   and 
  narrowly 
  barred 
  with 
  white; 
  head, 
  neck 
  and 
  breast 
  pale 
  brownish 
  

   A'ellow, 
  or 
  ocherous, 
  shading 
  to 
  whitish 
  on 
  belly; 
  flanks 
  blackish, 
  barred 
  

   with 
  white; 
  "under 
  tail 
  coverts 
  cinnamon"; 
  secondaries 
  white. 
  

  

  Length 
  6-7.5 
  inches; 
  wing 
  3-3.6 
  ; 
  tail 
  1.5 
  ; 
  bill 
  50-60 
  ; 
  tarsus 
  .8-1 
  ; 
  middle 
  

   toe 
  and 
  claw 
  1-1.12. 
  

  

  Field 
  marks. 
  The 
  small 
  size 
  and 
  general 
  yellowish 
  hue 
  of 
  this 
  bird 
  

   distinguish 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  other 
  rails. 
  Some 
  young 
  soras 
  are 
  nearly 
  yellowish 
  

   brown 
  in 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  foreparts, 
  but 
  the 
  white 
  markings 
  of 
  the 
  back 
  are 
  

   lengthwise 
  instead 
  of 
  transverse 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  Yellow 
  rail. 
  When 
  the 
  bird 
  is 
  

   flushed 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  possible 
  chance 
  of 
  mistaking 
  it 
  as 
  this 
  species 
  shows 
  a 
  

   conspicuous 
  white 
  patch 
  in 
  the 
  wings 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  white 
  secondaries. 
  

  

  Distribution. 
  The 
  Yellow 
  rail 
  inhabits 
  eastern 
  North 
  America, 
  north 
  

   to 
  Nova 
  Scotia, 
  Hudson 
  bay 
  and 
  Slave 
  lake, 
  wintering 
  southward 
  to, 
  Cuba. 
  

   In 
  this 
  State 
  it 
  is 
  chiefly 
  a 
  transient 
  visitant, 
  but 
  its 
  nest 
  will 
  probably 
  be 
  

   found 
  w^ithin 
  our 
  borders. 
  The 
  nearest 
  approach 
  to 
  a 
  breeding 
  record 
  

   that 
  I 
  can 
  find 
  is 
  a 
  speciinen 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  Museum, 
  no. 
  283, 
  labeled," 
  Brad- 
  

   dock's 
  bay, 
  June, 
  1880." 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  winter 
  record 
  for 
  Long 
  Island 
  in 
  Mr 
  

   Butcher's 
  collection, 
  19 
  13 
  — 
  Sayville, 
  January 
  17, 
  1894. 
  From 
  the 
  records 
  

   of 
  33 
  specimens 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  State, 
  5 
  are 
  without 
  definite 
  dates. 
  Of 
  the 
  

   remaining 
  28, 
  15 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  October, 
  6 
  in 
  September 
  and 
  3 
  in 
  April, 
  

   with 
  I 
  record 
  each 
  for 
  August, 
  November, 
  Januar}^ 
  and 
  June. 
  11 
  of 
  these 
  

   specimens 
  were 
  taken 
  on 
  Long 
  Island, 
  6 
  in 
  the 
  marshes 
  bordering 
  on 
  Lake 
  

  

  