Rail
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Rail. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
a family of birds allied to the cranes and coots. The order stands next to that of shore birds or snipes. The common Virginia rail would pass for a fair sized snipe. It is distributed from the Atlantic to British Columbia , nesting wherever marshes of reeds, cat-tails, or tall grass are to be found. It is a timid bird. Save in time of migration, it does not leave cover willingly. It will creep through the grass, hide under water, and resort to all manner of devices before it rises. When it is flushed it flies with a feeble, aimless flutter, its legs dangle in a helpless fashion, and the bird tumbles into cover a few rods away, as though a charge of shot had passed through it. Were it not for its feeble call, one might pass by its swamp for a lifetime and not suspect its presence. It is an olivebrown bird, streaked and barred with black. If seen unnoticed, it steps about with great deliberation, thrusting its long bill into the soft mud and ooze. Its long bill and short, up-turned tail give it a queer, unbalanced look; but it can dart into cover or skip across a pool on the leaves of water plants with a quickness that is surprising. Other American rails, for there are a dozen species, are the king rail, the largest of all; the clapper rails of salt marshes; the Carolina rail, a favorite with gunners; the sora, a yellow rail recognizable by its slow cry of krek, krek; and the little black rail, seldom seen, about five inches in length. In Great Britain the corresponding birds are called land rails and water rails. The land rails are called corn-crakes. They nest in meadows and not infrequently lose their heads by the mower's scythe. The narrow build of the bird, enabling it to step between the stems of sedges, has given rise to the popular saying "As slim as a rail." Hell Gate, Colorado
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
the common name of the Rallidæ, a family of grallatorial birds comprehending the rails proper (Rallus), the coots, water-hens, and crakes. Most of the members of the family are aquatic or frequent marshes; but some, as the crakes, frequent dry situations. The principal species of the genus Rallus are the water rail of Europe (R. aquaticus), about 11 inches in length, of an olive brown color, marked with black above, and of a bluish-ash color beneath, with white transverse markings on the belly, much esteemed for the table; the Virginian rail of the United States (R. virginianus), somewhat smaller than the water rail of Europe; and the greatbreasted rail or fresh-water marsh hen (R. elegans), about 20 inches long, which inhabits the marshes of the Southern States of the United States. The land rail, so named, is the CORN CRAKE (q. v.).