YELLOW RAIL. 511 



dried bottoms of ponds, cornfields, and marshy places. In their habits, like 

 all others of this family, they are retiring, skulking like rats in run-ways 

 at the roots of grass and weeds. They are with difficulty flushed, and 

 when on the wing, their flight is short, extremely slow and labored, just 

 clearing the tops of the grass or weeds. In alighting they drop suddenly 

 as if shot, and conceal themselves or quickly run for safety to a consider- 

 able distance. 



The nest of this species, as of all others of the family, is placed on the 

 ground. The eggs are eight or ten in number, greenish or olive-drab, 

 with markings of reddish-brown. They measure about 1.20 by .90. 



PORZANA NOVEBOKACENSIS (Gm.) CaSS. 



■S'ellow JEtall. 



Ballua novehoracensis, Kirtland, Ohio Geolog. Surv., 1838, 165, 185. 



Porzana noveboracenais, Whbaton, Ohio Agrio. Eep. for 1860, 369, 378; Reprint, 1861, 11, 

 20; Food of Birds, eto., Ohio Agrio. Rep. for 1874, 573; Reprint, 1875, 13.— Lang- 

 don, Oat. Birds of Gin. 1877, 16 ; Revised List, Joam. Gin. Soc. Nat. Hist., i, 1879, 

 184 ; Reprint, 18 ; Field Notes, ib,, ii, 1880, 127. 



Fulica noveboracenais, Gmelin, Syst. Nat., i, 1788, 701. 

 MalVua noveboraeenais, Bonaparte, Sp. List, 1827, 213. 

 Porzana noveboracetisia, Cassin, Birds, N. Am., 1858, 750. 



Above, varied with blackish and ochre.' -brown, and thickly marked with narrow 

 white semicircles and transverse bars ; below, pale ochrey-brown, fading on the belly, 



POEZANA JAMAICENSIS (Gm.) CaSfi. 



iBlack IRail. 



Porzana jamaicenaia, Langdon, Cat. Birds of Gin., 1877, 16 ; Revised List, Jonm. Cin. 



Soo. Nat. Hist , i, 1879, 189; Reprint, 23. 

 Sallua jamaicenaia, Gmelin, Syst. Nat., i, 1788, 718. 

 Porzana jamaicenaia, Cassin, Birds N. Am., 1858, 749. 



Blackish, head and nnder-parts dark-slaty, paler or whitening on the throat; above 

 speckled with white, the cervix and upper back varied with dart-chestnnt; lower 

 belly, crissum, flanks and axillars, white-barred ; quills with white spots. Very smaU, 

 about 5i ; wing, 2f-3 ; tail, 1^ ; tarsus, f . 



Habitat, South America to Chili. Central America. West Indies. In North America 

 to New Jersey and Kansas, rare. Illinois, breeding {Nelaon). 



Mr. Langdon introduces this bird to our acquaintance in his Catalogue of the 

 Birds of the Vicinity of Cincinnati, in which he says, "a Rail shot by myself, near 

 Madisouville, several years ago, I now think was this species." In addition to this, Dr. 

 Howard E. Jones is almost positive that he has killed it in the vicinity of Circle- 

 ville. It is also reported from Northern Ohio but of this I have not as yet obtained 

 positive evidence. As Mr. Langdon omits it from his later list, we must wait more posi- 

 tive identification than the above. 



