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"Fulicia. Coot. Bill and frontal plate much as in the Gallinultes. Body depressed; the under plumage thick and duck-like, to resist water. feet highly natatorial' toes, including the hinder, lobate, being furnished with large semicircular membranous flaps. The Coots are eminently aquatic birds, swimming with ease, by means of their lobate feet, like phalaropes and grebes; but this ability results from very slight modification of a structure shared by the Rails and Gallinules. There are about ten species, of both hemispheres, distinguished, among other characters, by the size and shape of the frontal shield. That, for instance, is of an exotic species, much larger than that of Fulica americana, and differently shaped. One species is remarkable for having the forehead singularly carunculate; the others closely resemble our common species." Elliott Coues, 1884

Coot Head

"Fulicia. Coot. Bill and frontal plate much as in the Gallinultes. Body depressed; the under plumage…

"Gallinula. Gallinules. Water Hens. Mud Hens. Bill not longer than head, stout at base, tapering, compressed, the culmen running directly up on the forehead and expanding into a frontal plate of different shape in different species. Nostrils near middle of bill, linear. Feet large and stout; tibia naked below; tarsus moderately compressed, scutellate; toes very long, the outer longer than the inner, with an evident though slight marginal membrane; claws long, slender, little curved, acute. Wings short and rounded, but ample. Tail very short, of 12 weak feathers, with long ample under coverts, as in Rails. Plumage not rich blue." Elliot Coues, 1884

Gallinule

"Gallinula. Gallinules. Water Hens. Mud Hens. Bill not longer than head, stout at base, tapering, compressed,…

"Porzana carolina. Carolina Crake. Common Rail. "ortolan." Above, olive-brown, varied with black, with numerous sharp white streaks and specks; flanks, axilars and lining of wings, barred with white and blackish; belly whitish; crissum rufescent. Face and central line of throat black, the rest of the throat, line over eye, and especially the breast, more or less intensely slate-gray, the sides of the breast usually also with some obsolete whitish barring and speckling." Elliot Coues, 1884

Carolina Rail

"Porzana carolina. Carolina Crake. Common Rail. "ortolan." Above, olive-brown, varied with black, with…

"Rallus longirostris crepitans. Clapper Rail. Salt-water Marsh-hen. Mud-hen. Above, variegated with olive-brown and pale olive-ash, the latter edging the feathers, the variegation dull and blended. Below, pale dull ochrey-brown, whitening on the throat, frequently ashy-shaded on the breast, without decided cinnamon-brown shade. Flanks, axillars, and lining of wings, fuscous-gray, with sharp narrow white bars. Quills and tail plain dark-brown, without chestnut on the coverts. Eyelids and short superciliary line whitish. The general tone is that of a gray bird, without any reddishness." Elliot Coues, 1884

Clapper Rail

"Rallus longirostris crepitans. Clapper Rail. Salt-water Marsh-hen. Mud-hen. Above, variegated with…

"Porzana carolina. Carolina Crake. Common Rail. "ortolan." Above, olive-brown, varied with black, with numerous sharp white streaks and specks; flanks, axilars and lining of wings, barred with white and blackish; belly whitish; crissum rufescent. Face and central line of throat black, the rest of the throat, line over eye, and especially the breast, more or less intensely slate-gray, the sides of the breast usually also with some obsolete whitish barring and speckling." Elliot Coues, 1884

Small Carolina Rail

"Porzana carolina. Carolina Crake. Common Rail. "ortolan." Above, olive-brown, varied with black, with…

"Melospiza palustris. Swamp Song Sparrow. Crown bright chestnut, blackening on forehead, the red cap and black vizor as conspicuous as in chipping sparrow; but oftener, crown with obscuremedian ashy line, and streaked with black. An ashy-gray superciliary line; dark brown postocular stripe, bordering the auriculars; sides of head ashy, with grayish-brown auriculars, dusky speckling on cheeks and lores, and slight dusky maxillary spots or streaks. An ashy cervical collar separating the chestnut crown from the back, sometimes pure, oftener interrupted with blackish streaks. The general ash of the sides of head and neck spreads all over the breast and under parts, fading to whitish on throat and belly; the sides, flanks, and crissum marked with brown, and obsoletely streaked with darker brown. Back and rump brown, rather darker than sides of body, boldly variegated with black central streaks of the feathers and their pale brown or grayish edges. Wings so strongly edged with bright bay as to appear almost uniformly brownish-red when closed; but inner secondaries and greater coverts showing some black and whitish besides the bay. Tail likewise strongly edged with bay, and usually showing sharp black shaft lines. Thus well marked by the emphasis of black, bay, and ash." Elliot Coues, 1884

Swamp Sparrow

"Melospiza palustris. Swamp Song Sparrow. Crown bright chestnut, blackening on forehead, the red cap…

"Mareca americana. American Wigeon. Bald-pate. Bill grayish-blue, with black tip and extreme base; feet similar, duller, with dusky webs and claws; iris brown. Top of head white, or nearly so; sides the same, or more buffy, speckled with dusky-green, purer green forming a broad patch from and below eye to hind head; chin dusky. Fore neck and breast light brownish-red, or very pale purplish-cinnamon, each feather with paler grayish edge; along the sides of the body the same, finely waved with dusky; the breast and belly pure white, the crissum abruptly black. Lower hind neck and fore back and scapulars finely waved with the same reddish color and with dusky; lower back and rump similarly waved with dusky and whitish. Lesser wing-coverts plain gray; middle and greater coverts pure white, forming a large area, the greater black-tipped, forming the fore border of the speculum, which is glossy green, bordered behind by velvety black, internally by the black and white stripes on the inner secondaries. Tail brownish-gray, the lateral upper coverts black; axillary feathers white. Only old drakes have the crown immaculate white, the chin dusky, the auricular definitely green; generally the whole head and upper neck are pale brownish-yellow or reddish-white, speckled with greenish-Dusky." Elliot Coues, 1884

American Wigeon

"Mareca americana. American Wigeon. Bald-pate. Bill grayish-blue, with black tip and extreme base; feet…