87 



The Rails are skulkers and expert hiders in the grass. They thread 

 the narrow runways between the clumps with mouse-like dexterity and 

 speed. They rely on this ability to hide more than on flight to escape 

 danger and will often allow themselves to be caught in the hand rather 

 than take wing. A Rail will flush once in a seeming panic, but safely down 

 again it can rarely be forced to wing a second time and in a small isolated 

 clump of cover will seldom be detected except by a dog's keen nose. Rails 

 can and do swim, but only occasionally and only for a short distance, as 

 when passing from one grass clump to another they find the water too deep 

 for wading. 



Rails are very noisy, especially at night. Even in the day-time a 

 sudden and unexpected noise will bring forth a chorus of their loud harsh 

 cracklings from the marsh, though not a bird may bo se£il. 



Our Canadian fi^ails can be divided into two divisions, a long-billed 

 type and a short-billed type (Figures 23 and 25, p. 22) . The first includes 

 the King and Virginia, the two species having a similar coloration; the 

 second includes the Sora and the Yellow Rails.having only a general resem- 

 blance in colour but similar stubby bills. 



208. King Rail. RaUus elegans. L, 15. Long-billed; cheeks, neck, and breast cinna- 

 mon-rufous; back brownish-black, each feather broadly margined with an ochraceous 

 shade of the breast colour, flflnlcH barred with black and white. Juvenile similar, but coloiu's 

 veiled with black. 



Distinctions. In Canada can only be mistaken for the similarly coloured Virginia 

 Rail, but King Rail is much larger. 



Field Marks. Loose rail-like flight as it gets up from the grass, size, general coloration, 

 and long red-brown bill. 



Nesting. In wet marshes, in nest of grass, etc. 



Distribution. Rather southern distribution; comes regularly within our borders 

 along the lower Great Lakes; breeds wherever found in Canada. 



The King Rail can be taken as the type of the Long-billed Rails 

 (Figure 23, p. 22). This type has a longer neck and a more graceful habit 

 and build than the Short-billed type. This series is one of several among 

 American birds where distinct species differ from each other in little else 

 than size. Included with our King and Virginia Rails in this series is the 

 extralimital Clapper Rail of the more southern sea-board salt marshes, 

 never occurring in Canada. 



212. Virginia RaU. pp — le rIle de vibginie. BaUus tnrginianus. L, 9-50. 

 Smaller than the King Rail but otherwise similar to it. 



Distinctions. Easily distinguished from the King Rail by its smaller size and from 

 the Sora by its long reddish bill and general coloration. Young birds are overwaahed 

 with a considerable amount of black and have often been misidentified as Black Rails. 

 The Black RaU is even smaller than the Yellow Rail (5 • 0) and has a short bill; no Canadian 

 record of the Black Rail rests upon perfectly satisfactory evidence. It may, however, 

 be looked for in the Great Lake region, especially in the neighbourhood of the St. Clair 

 flats, where there is strong evidence of its occurrence, though a specimen has not yet been 

 secured. 



Field Marks. Size, coloration, long, reddish biU (Figure 23, p. 22), and typical loose 

 rail flight as it rises from the marsh. 



Nesting. In wet marsh, in nest of grass. 



Distribution. Southern Canada across the continent and north to the present Umits 

 of cultivation. Breeds wherever foxmd in Canada. 



This is a far more common Rail than the King and to be expected in 

 almost any marsh or very wet meadow within its range. Its habits do not 

 differ essentially from those of the other Rails. 



