Adult (sexes alike).—General color above wood-brown; scapulars, inner secondaries, lower back, rump, and tail seal-brown; scapulars and inner secondaries with wide sandy brown edges; top of head black or dark slate-gray; a white line from bill over eye; a large loral space black, below this a white band separating black post-ocular space from ashy ear-coverts; lower throat, sides of neck, and sides of body ashy gray; chin, upper throat, thighs, and middle of breast and abdomen white; flanks, vent, and under tail-coverts sandy buff or clay-color; wings and tail dark brown; first primary edged with white. Iris bright red; bill yellowish brown; legs brown with greenish and yellowish tints; nails brown. Length, 190 to 203. Three males from Bohol measure: Wing, 91 to 98 (average 95); tail, 45 to 51 (average 48); exposed culmen, 23; tarsus, 36 to 39 (average 37.8); middle toe with claw, 46 to 52 (average 46).
Young.—The fully feathered young resembles the adult in color pattern but top of head and blackish loral band are brown and the ashy gray of ear-coverts, lower throat, and sides is replaced by yellowish buff. The downy young is coal-black.
A downy young bird was collected in Calayan, October 8, 1903, and a half-grown bird was collected in Ticao, April 22, 1902.
“Very common about lakes and fresh-water pools. Breeds abundantly in the tall grass and rushes. Called by the natives ‘y-a-gut-yút.’” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
Genus LIMNOBÆNUS Sundevall, 1873.
In colors this genus resembles Rallina but has the middle toe with claw longer than the tarsus.
Species.
- a1. Flanks olive-brown with narrow whitish bars, the bars sometimes wanting. fuscus (p. [74])
- a2. Flanks white, barred with dusky blackish. paykulli (p. [74])