A ves.— P late XX. (A d ul t M ale and Y oung F emale.)
Mas.—G. capite colloque castaneis; dorso, alis, (remigibus primariis secundariisque exceptis,) abdominc,
caudaque nigro-brunneis, striis maculisque albis variegatis; remigibus brunneo-rubris. Rostro pedi-
busque pallid^ rubro-brunneis.
Longitudo 6 | unc.
Gallinula dimidiata, Temm., Less. Manuel d’Omith. tom. 1, page 537, 1831.
Crex ruficollis, Gray, Zoological Miscellany, page 13, 1831.
C olour.— Head, neck, and breast bright chestnut— the throat and breast
lightest; back, shoulders, wing coverts, quill coverts, tertiary quill feathers,
belly, upper and under tail coverts, and tail blackish brown, freely variegated
with delicate longitudinal white streaks, and small white dots, the
latter almost restricted to the quill coverts, the upper and under tail coverts,
the vent, and the tail. Wherever the variegations consist of longitudinal
white streaks, there are two on each feather, one on the outer, the other
on the inner vane; behind the stripes, however, there are generally four white
dots, (vide fig. a.) When again the variegations consist of dots, there are from
two to three of those near the edge of each vane, at some distance from each
other, and those of the one vane are situated opposite to the corresponding
ones of the other, (vide fig. b.) Primary and secondary quill feathers brownish
red ; bill and legs reddish brown ; the lower mandible faintly edged above
and below with yellowish brown.
F orm.— Bill short and deep at the base, hence, when viewed laterally it has
distinctly a triangular shape; head rounded ; neck rather short and full; body
rather robust; tail full and decomposed; thighs feathered almost to the knee-
joints ; tarsi rather strong, and the toes long for the size of the bird. Wings
when folded scarcely reach beyond the base of the tail, the fourth and fifth
quill feathers equal and longest, the second, third and sixth equal and
slightly shorter, the first rather shorter than the second ; the whole of the
feathers loose and rather of a wiry appearance; tarsi in front coated with
one row of plates, behind with two rows, of which the commissure is
behind, bare space above knee-joints also coated with plates; outer and
middle toe with a rudimentary web at their base; claws slender, slightly
curved and pointed.
DIMENSIONS.
Length from the tip of the bill to the
Inches. Line»,
Length of the tarsus...............
Inches.
......... 1 0
point of the tail ............... 6 6 the middle toe......... ......... 1
of the bill from angle of mouth 0 7* the outer toe........... ......... 0 10
3
of the tail............................. 2 0 the hinder toe ........ ......... 0 3