eallid^— the bails, gallinules, and coots. 83 



Suborder BALLI. 

 Family RALLID^.— The Rails, Gallinules, and Coots. 



Ceab. Small or medium-sized wading, or swimming birds, witi oompressed body, 

 very long toes, wMoh are sometimes (in the Coots) lobed along the edges, short, rounded, 

 oonoave wings, and very muscular thighs. 



The brief diagnosis given above is sufficient to distinguish 

 the Rails, of whatever subfamily, from the Courians and Cranes, 

 their only near allies. The typical Rails (EalUnai) are of very 

 small to medium size, the typical genus, Rallm, being charac- 

 terized particularly by a lengthened slender bill, while other gen- 

 era, as Porzcma and Crex, have this member comparatively 

 short and thick. The Coots and Gallinules have the base of 

 the culmen continued upon the forehead, where it widens out 

 into a more or less gibbous or expanded plate or frontal shield. 

 The Coots, however, are peculiar in having the toes fringed with 

 scalloped flaps or lateral lobes. 



The three subfamilies occurring in North America may' be 

 thus distinguished: 



HallineB. No frontal process ; toes without lateral lobeS ; size variable ; •bill sometimes 



much elongated. 

 Gallinulinse. A frontal process, as in Pulicince ; toes without lateral lobes; size large. 

 FulioinsB. A frontal process, as in Gallinulinai; toes with a lateral lobed margin; size 



large. / 



The several subfamilies having thus been defined, the North 

 American genera may be characterized as follows: 



Subfamily RALLINiE.— The Rails. 



A- Bill slender, equal to or longer than the tarsus. 



1. Ballus. (Page 89.) 



B. BUI stout, not more than two thirds the tarsus (usually much less). 



2. Forzana, Middle toeabout equal to or slightly longer than.tarsus; base of gonys 

 not forming a decided angle; middle of culmen decidedly depressed or concave. 

 (Page 92.) 



3. Crex. Middle toe shorter than tarsus; base of gonys forming a decided angle; 

 middle of culmen scarcely appreciably depressed. (Not yetfound in Illinois.) 



Subfamily GALLINULIN-ffi.— The Gallinules. 



4. lonomis. Nostril small, oval; middle toe shorter than tarsus: toes without trace 

 of lateral membrane ; inner posterior face of tarsus with a single row of large 

 Quadrate soutellEE. 



6. Gallinula. Nostril elongated, slit-like: middle toe longer than tarsus; toes with a 

 decided indication of lateral membrane; inner posterior face of tarsus covered 

 with several irregular rows of small hexagonal scales. 



