MIDWAY BETWEEN A RAIL AND A COOT 145 



powder. Therefore, rail not at all those who shoot rails; 

 for there be some who do not shoot "for revenue only." 



As may be inferred, rails are good to eat, though not very 

 good; for they are several sizes too small for real comfort. 

 There are only about twelve species in North America, of 

 which the King Rail, 15 inches long (of eastern North Amer- 

 ica), is the largest, and the Virginia Rail is the most widely 

 distributed. The latter has a long bill (ly^ inches), and is 

 found from Long Island to British Columbia, breeding every- 

 where that marshy lands occur. It is an olive-brown bird, 

 streaked and barred with black, and in places with white also. 



While the most typical rails have long bills, some species 

 are short-billed. 



A Gallinule is a bird which lives, acts and looks like a 

 rail, and is easily mistaken for either a rail or a coot; but it 

 stands midway between the two. It is distinguished from 

 the rails by the hare, horny shield upon the forehead, and from 

 the coots by the long, slender, unwebbed toes. The Florida 

 Gallinule^ is also called the Blue "Rail," and Red-Billed 

 "Mud-Hen," and its general color effect is bluish gray. It 

 is found in localities adapted to its habits throughout temper- 

 ate North America, north to Canada, and as far south as 

 Brazil. 



The Purple Gallinule,^ of the southern half of the 

 eastern United States, is a bird of beautiful plumage. Its 

 colors are a rich, dark purple on the head, neck and shoulders, 

 lightening to peacock blue on the back and lower breast. 



* Gal-li-nu'la gal-e-a'ta. Length, about 13 inches. 

 ^ I-o-nor'nis mar-tin'i-ca. Length, 12 inches. 



