Identifier: birdsofnewenglan00sam (find matches)
Title: The birds of New Englandand adjacent states: containing descriptions of the birds of New England ... together with a history of their habitats ... ; with illustrations of many species of the birds, and accurate figures of their eggs
Year: 1870 (1870s)
Authors: Samuels, Edward Augustus, 1836-1908
Subjects: Birds Birds Birds
Publisher: Boston : Noyes, Holmes
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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nerally inserted more nearly on the same level with the anteriorones, touching the ground for most of its extent. The species pick up their food on the surface, and do not probe the soft mud insearch of it. The North-American species of this tribe are few in number, though very abun-dant in individuals. Their habit of close concealment among the reeds and grassof marshy places renders them very difficult of detection, except when their abodesare more or less submerged. Sub-Farrtily Rallik^. — The Rails.RALLUS, LiNN^us. Ralhs, LinnjEus, Syst. Nat. Bill longer than the head, rather slender, compressed; upper mandible slightlycu^^^ed; nostrils in a long groove, and with a large membrane; wings short; tertiaryquills long, fi-equently longer than the primaries; tail very short; legs moderate;tarsus shorter than the middle toe, and covered on all sides with transverse scales;!oes long and rather slender; inner toe rather shorter than the outer; hind toe shortiind weak. 1 See Introduction.
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THE CLAPPER BAIL. 471 BALLUS ELEGANS. — Audtbon. Marsh Hen. RaUus elegans, Audubon. Om. Biog., III. (1837) 27.Ballus crepitans, Wilson. Am. Om., VII. (1813). Desckiption. Upper parts olive-brown, with longitudinal stripes of brownish-black, mostnumerous on the back; line from the base of the bill over the eye dull orange-yel-low; space before and behind the eye brownish-cinereous; throat and lower eyelidwhite; neck before and breast bright rufous-chestnut; sides and abdomen, and undertail coverts, with transverse bands of brownish-black and white, the dark bandsbeing the wider; tibijB dull yellowish-white, with spots and transverse bars of ashy-brown ; upper wing coverts reddish-chestnut; under wing coverts black, with trans-verse lines of white. Sexes alike. Total length (from tip of biU to end of tail), about seventeen inches; wing, sixand fifty one-hundredths; tail, three inches. This beautiful bird is so exceedingly rare in New Eng-land, that it can be regarded only as a straggl

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