RALLICULA FORBESI, Sharpe.
Forbes’s Rail.
W e have figured in the accompanying Plate a Rail which appears to us to be undoubtedly new to
science. I t is a third species o f a most interesting genus, which, so far as we know a t present, is
entirely confined to New Guinea, the two species hitherto described, viz. Rallicula rubra and R . leucospila,
being from the Arfak Mountains in North-western New Guinea. The former o f these has been recently
figured by Dr. Guillemard in the ‘ Proceedings ’ o f the Zoological Society for 1885 ; but of R . leucospila
no figure at present exists, nor have we ever seen a specimen.
Forbes’s Rail seems to differ from both the above-mentioned species in having the back and wings
entirely black, the female, or young bird, having oehreous spots on the back. R . rubra is, as its name
implies, a reddish bird, while R . leucospila has the black feathers o f the upper parts edged with white.
Like its congeners, R . forbesi has the curious tufted tail which allies the genus Rallicula to the African
genus Corethrura.
T h e colours of the species are so simple th at only a short description is necessary. The adult bird
is everywhere deep chestnut, excepting the back and wings, which are black. The rump is dusky blackish,
barred with dull ru fo u s; the upper tail-coverts chestnut, barred with black, the tail-feathers chestnut,
with the black bars less perfectly indicated, and reduced to spots on the ends o f some o f the longer co v erts;
the flanks and lower abdomen a re dusky blackish, with dull reddish b a r s ; the under tail-coverts very
long, chestnut, broadly barred with black. Under wing-coverts and axillaries black, barred with w h ite ;
the quills black below, with broad spots o r bars of white o r oehreous buff on the inner web. Total
length 8-5 inches, culmen 1*15, wing 4 -25, tail 2*45, tarsus 1*35.
A second bird sent by Mr. Forbes is probably the adult female, and only differs in having the
back and wings spotted with oehreous buff. Total length 8 inches, culmfen 1*15, wing 4*2, tail 2 2,
tarsus 1*35.
Mr. Forbes obtained these specimens somewhere on the Owen Stanley range in South-eastern New
Guinea, but the exact locality is not marked on the label.
T h e figures in the Plate are of the natural size, and are drawn from the typical examples described
above.
[R. B. S.]