Virginia Rail 93 
leap, droop their wings, and skip and work themselves 
into a great state at this time. 
Warren (04) found a nest on an island in a small 
lake in north-western Gunnison co., at an elevation of 
8,000 feet, on June 5th, 1903; the nest was placed on 
a tussock of grass, and was merely a flat platform about 
two feet across, chiefly composed of swamp-grass; on 
this platform lay two large eggs. These are light greenish- 
brown in colour, blotched all over with reddish-brown, 
rather more thickly towards the larger end of the egg, 
though in shape they are almost elliptical. They average 
3°98 x 2°44. 
Family RALLIDA, 
The Rails and Coots, which constitute this family, 
are marsh or water birds of retirimg habits, running 
through and skulking in grass and reeds. The face 
is always feathered, the tail is generally very short, and 
contains ten to fourteen rectrices; the legs are rather 
short and the lower portion of the tibia is always bare 
of feathers; all the toes are long and slender, and the 
hind toe is jointed at a higher level than the others. 
Genus RALLUS. 
Bill long and slender, the culmen longer than the middle toe and 
claw ; no frontal shield ; nostrils in a long groove near the base of the 
bill; tail short, less than half the length of the wing; tarsus shorter 
than the middle toe and claw. 
A cosmopolitan genus, containing the Water Rails; some eight 
species and subspecies are recognized in North America. 
Virginia Rail. Rallus virginianus. 
A.O.U. Checklist no 212—Colorado Records—Aiken 72, p. 210; 
Henshaw 75, p. 468; Beckham, 85, p. 144; 87, p. 124; Morrison 89, 
p. 166 ; Cooke 97, pp. 18, 63, 158, 198 ; Henderson 03, p. 234 ; 09, p. 227. 
Description. Above dusky brown, the feathers of the back edged 
with olive-brown ; sides of the face ashy-grey, darker round the eye ; 
