RAIL

a name applied to a cla of birds which contains many different variclice distributed over many countries and ranging in size from the [777 5, ao small Sora to the big Clapper Rail. The Marsh rails, numeri- |. L x k Da cally the most important, are marked by the peculiar formation Ned Suse of their bodies—which are broad and blunt behind and very narSa row in front, this shape enabling them the more readily to PRI make their way in, through and around the tall reeds of their marshy homes. a The best known market type is the Virginia Rail, or Sora, also called “Carolina Rail,” which has upper plumage of greenish |_ or golden brown with black and white markings, the front of | = the head and throat black and the under-parts brownish or slate | colored with black and white bars. Plucked and ready for Sora Rail market, the birds average in weight from two and a half to three pounds a dozen. The King Rail, also marketed but to le er extent, is about twice as large as the Virginia Rail. [s. 527]