BIRDS or NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA 57 



Check-list Birds of World, ii, 1934, 157.— Obebholskb, Proc. V. S. Nat. Mus. 

 Ixxxiv, 1937, 349 (monogr. ; crit. ; meas. ; breeding north to San tee River, 

 S. C. ; s. to Merritt Island, Fla.) ; 351, 352 in text. 



RALLUS LONGIROSTRIS SCOTTU SeiuiiH 



Florida Clapper Rail 



Adult (sexes alike) . — Similar to RcHlus longirostris saturatus, dark 

 phase, but darker, the centers of the feathers of the upperparts of the 

 body fuscous to dark fuscous-black, the edges either light brownish 

 olive to brownish olive or gull gray with a very faint olive tinge, 

 thus producing two distinct color phases; sides of neck, the lower 

 throat, breast, and upper abdomen darker — flight pinkish cinnamoM 

 to light tawny-olive, more or less clouded with grayish, the clouding' 

 generally but not always restricted to the throat and upper breast and 

 sides of the neck; sides and flanks olive-brown to sepia, the white bars 

 generally somewhat narrower than in saturatus; the darkest above of 

 all the races of the species.^' 



Adult male (type, Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. No. 35222, Tarpon 

 Springs, Fla., Dec. 27, 1886; W. E. D. Scott) .—Above brownish black, 

 quite uniform on pileum and hind neck, but on back and scapulars 

 streaked with dull olive-grayish, there streaks (edgings of feathers) 

 broader on scapulars ; rump and upper tail coverts dull sepia-brown, 

 broadly streaked or striped with dull black; upper wing coverts 

 warm bister-brown, darker centrally, these darker centers more dis- 

 tinct on innermost coverts; anterior edge of wing (narrowly) white; 

 primaries uniform dusky brown; lores dusky, bordered above by a 

 line of pale brownish buff along each side of forehead; a broad post- 

 ocular stripe, extending to nape, and an indistinct stripe from rictus 

 to ears, duU plumbeous or mouse gray, the two areas separated by a 

 narrower ill-defined dusky stripe from lens beneath eyes and along 

 upper edge of auriculars; chin and throat dull white, the latter bor- 

 dered laterally and posteriorly with pale fawn color, this changing 

 on foreneck to dull grayish olive or hair brown, becoming still grayer 

 on sides of head, the middle of chest and breast full fawn color; 

 sides and flanks sepia brown, barred with white, these bars averaging 

 about 0.05 mm. wide, the interspace about 0.30-0.35 mm.; axillars 



■"It has been suggested that four color phases may be recognized: 1, With 

 brownish edges to the dorsal feathers and with the neck and breast heavily 

 washed with gray ; 2, the same but with little or no gray on the neck and breast ; 

 3, with grayish edges to the dorsal feathers and with the neck and breast washed 

 with gray ; 4, the same as No. 3 but with little or no grayish wash on neck and 

 breast. It seems simpler and truer to recognize two phases based on the color 

 of the edges of the dorsal feathers, as most birds are definitely one or the other,, 

 while the ventral grayness varies imperceptibly from one extreme to the other! 



