YELLOW-BREASTED RAIL. J 55 



Dr. Trudeau has favoured me with the following notice respecting this 

 species: — "The Yellow-breasted Rail winters in the Southern States of the 

 Union. It arrives in Louisiana in company with JRallus ( Ortygometra) 

 jamaicensis, about the end of October or the beginning of November. As 

 well as that species it is very common in the marshes in the vicinity of the 

 woods. It is a very difficult thing to force either of these two Rails to take 

 flight; for if chased by a dog, they will only fly when the animal is near 

 catching them. However, it is much easier to kill them at this season of 

 the year than in the spring, in the Northern States. It is there I can say 

 almost impossible to put them up. The reason of this is probably their 

 attachment to their eggs or young ones. Some of them nestle in Louisiana. 

 About the beginning of March, these two species begin to migrate north- 

 ward. They are to be seen at Salem, in New Jersey, by the end of April. 

 A few of the Yellow-breasts remain there, and a great number of the other 

 species breed. I suppose that many proceed as far as Hudson's Bay." 



Rallus noveboracensis, Bonap. Syn., p. 335. 



Rallus noveboracensis, Bonap. Amer. Orn., vol. iv. p. 136. 



Yellow-breasted Rail, Rallus noveboracensis, Swains, and Rich. F. Bor. Amer., 



vol. ii. p. 402. 

 Yellow-breasted Rail, Nutt. Man., vol. ii. p. 402. 

 Yellow-breasted Rail, Rallus noveboracensis, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. iv. p. 251; vol. 



v. p. 574. 



Male, 7f, \2\. 



Common in Lower Louisiana and Florida, where it breeds. Stragglers go 

 as far as Hudson's Bay. Occasionally met with far in the interior. Prefers 

 fresh water. 



Adult Male. 



Bill shorter than the head, rather stout, compressed, tapering. Upper 

 mandible with the dorsal line nearly straight, being slightly convex towards 

 the end, the ridge narrow and convex in its whole length, the sides convex 

 towards the end, the edges sharp, slightly overlapping, destitute of notch. 

 Nasal groove broad, and extending to a little beyond the middle of the bill; 

 nostrils linear, lateral, submedial, pervious. Lower mandible with the angle 

 long and narrow, the sides erect, the dorsal line sloping upwards, the edges 

 a little inflected, the tip narrowed, the gap-line straight. 



Head rather small, oblong, compressed. Neck shortish. Body compact, 

 deeper than broad. Feet of moderate length, rather stout; tibia bare a short 

 way above the joint; tarsus of ordinary length, compressed, anteriorly 

 covered with broad scutella, posteriorly with smaller, and on the sides 

 reticulated. Hind toe small and very slender; middle toe longest, and 



