It is difficult to flush the Black Rail; it rises in a weak fluttering manner, the legs dangling down, and, after flying thirty or forty yards, drops again into the reeds. Its language is curious: when alarmed, the bird repeats, at short intervals, a note almost painful from its excessive sharpness, and utters it standing on a low branch or other elevation, but well masked by reeds and bushes, and incessantly bobbing its head, jerking its tail, and briskly turning from side to side. It has, at such times, a very interesting appearance, while the long beak, brilliant with the nuptial colouring, the bright-red eye and vermilion legs, admirably contrasting with the fine deep slate plumage, give it considerable claims to beauty. At other times it has a hollow call-note with a puzzling ventriloquism in the sound, which is sometimes repeated at short intervals for an hour. While uttering it the bird stands, as usual, on a slight eminence, but drawn up in a listless attitude and without any of its nods and jerks and other frisky gestures. It has also a kind of song, which sounds not unlike the braying of a donkey; hence the vernacular name _Burrito_ (little ass) by which the bird is known in the Plata. This song is heard both day and night, and is a confused performance, uttered without pause, and composed of several long shrill notes, modulated and mingled with others, hollow and booming. These notes can be heard a thousand yards away; but, far or near, they always sound remote. 372. RALLUS NIGRICANS, Vieill. (PLUMBEOUS RAIL.) +Aramides nigricans+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 504. +Rallus nigricans+, _Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 446; _iid. Nomencl._ p. 139. _Description._--Above olivaceous brown; front, side of the head, and body beneath plumbeous; throat whitish; lower belly, thighs, and tail blackish; bill straight, uniform dark greenish: whole length 10·0 inches, wing 5·3, tail 2·8. _Female_ similar. _Hab._ South Brazil, Paraguay, and Northern Argentina. This Rail is said by Dr. Burmeister to occur near Buenos Ayres, but the bird taken for this species by Durnford (Ibis, 1877, p. 193; 1878, p. 66) appears to have been _R. rhytirhynchus_. 373. ARAMIDES YPECAHA (Vieill.). (YPECAHA RAIL.) +Aramides gigas+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 504 (Paraná). +Aramides ypecaha+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 139; _iid. P. Z. S._ 1868, pp. 144, 448; _Hudson, P. Z. S._ 1876, p. 105 (Buenos Ayres); _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 194 (Buenos Ayres); _Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 276 (Entrerios). _Description._--Above olive-green; neck red; front cinereous; rump and tail black: beneath, throat white, breast and neck cinereous; abdomen rosy red, lower belly and thighs grey; flanks and crissum black; under wing-coverts rufous, with black cross bars; bill yellow; feet red: whole length 19·0 inches, wing 8·5, tail 3·3. _Female_ similar. _Hab._ Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.