NATTURAL HISTORY OF THE KING RAIL 17 



Figure 4. — Louisiana gulf coast marshes. 



Oberholser (1938, p. 109, 201) reported the collection of a King 

 and six Clapper Kails in the delta marsh at the mouth of the Mississippi 

 River, indicating their presence in this habitat type. 



The subdelta marsh 



The subdelta marsh, comprising 74 percent of the Louisiana coastal 

 marsh, extends westward from the Mississippi River Delta to Cow 

 Island and Chenier au Tigre in Vermilion Parish. Both its fresh-water 

 and brackish marshes are of two types, floating or with a firm floor of 

 clay. The predominant plant species in both types is "paille fine" or 

 maidencane (Panicum hemitomon). Associated with it are cattail, 

 southern bulrush {Scirpus calif omicus)^ sawgrass {Cladium jamai- 

 cense), wapato {Sagittaria latifolia)^ alligatorweed, and water hya- 

 cinth. In brackish areas either saltmeadow cordgrass {Spartina patens) 

 or Olney's three-square {Scirpus olneyi) is dominant; the latter is 

 dominant if there is management (burning) for muskrat production. 

 Salt marshes in this area are dominated by needlerush {Juncus roe- 

 marianus)^ saltmeadow cordgrass, and saltmarsh cordgrass. 



Both banding returns and collections of birds substantiate the oc- 

 currence of King Rails in the subdelta marsh. A King Rail banded 

 at Stuttgart, Ark., in June 1952, was recovered at Cut Off, Lafourche 



