The Light-footed Rail 



THERE IS no such conspicuous difference between this species and 

 the northern bird as is indicated by the name levipes, although the feet of 

 the females do average slightly smaller than those of obsoletus. Levipes is 

 just as surely a "Clapper" Rail, and this fact should be recognized in 

 nomenclature. Inasmuch as this species was described from a beach near 

 Los Angeles, and inasmuch as Los Angeles is entitled by divine edict 

 (which no one hitherto has presumed to question) to everything in sight, 

 I respectfully propose for this nimble-footed creature the name Los An- 

 geles Clapper Rail. The San Francisco Clapper Rail is manifestly obsole- 

 tus, but the Los Angeles Clapper Rail, if not strictly levipes, is at least 

 levicor, as becomes a true-hearted son of the South. 



Whatever might be the size, or weight, of our Clapper Rail's feet after 

 a bath, they sustain an emphatic increase whenever the bird essays to wade 

 in the muck. Mucking is the serious business of life, but the Rails react to 

 it as variously as people might. The first bird I ever saw, at Sandyland, 

 was a sorry-looking slattern at best. She had been dabbling as well as 

 wading, and while her feet were several sizes too large for her, as might be 

 expected, her face was completely masked in muck, a veritable Dolores 

 of the Swamps. 





Taken in San Diego Photo by D. R. Dickey 



NEST AND EGGS OF LIGHT-FOOTED RAIL 



1534 



