P l a t e L V I I .
FULICA ARDESIACA.
(TSCHUDI’S COOT).
Fúlica ardesiaca
L y s c a ardesiacea
Fúlica chilensis
Tseh. F a u n . Pe r. A v es,p . 303.
Scl. e t Salv. P.Z.S. 1868, p. 464.
Eeicli. N a t. Syst. p . s s i.
Dea M u rs , in G ay ’s F a u n a Chilena, viii., p. 4 74, A tla s, t. 10.
H a r tl, Jo um . f. O m . 1853, E s tra -h . p. 81.
Scl, P.Z.S. I8 6 0 , p. 82.
Scl. e t Salv. P.Z.S. 1868, p. 176.
Obscu re schistacea : c ap ite u n d iq u e n ig ric an te : flexura alari e t remigis e x te rn i marg in e albis : crisso nigro
la te ra lite r albo m is to : clypeo f ro n ta li tu b e ro s ita tem parallelogrammicam fo rm an te , a ro stro lineâ impressa diviso :
p e dibus obscurè schistaceis : long, to ta IG‘5, alæ 8 '5 , caudæ 2-2, ro s tri a r ic tu l '5 , ta rs i 2-G, dig. med. cum u n g u e 3'8.
Hab. inB o liv ià a lta (D'Orb. : Cast, e t D ev .): in Pe ruvià occidentali (Tsch. e t W h ite ly ): rep . iE q u a to r. (Fra ser).
The first satisfactory description o f this Coot was given b y Dr. liartlaub in his excellent
article on the birds o f the genus Fúlica, published in the “ Extra-Heft” o f Cabanis’ “ Journal fiir
Omithologie” for 1853, under the name Fúlica chilensis, taken from Des 5Iurs’ MS. We have,
hotvever, ascertained by inspection o f the type-specimen o f Fúlica ardesiaca, which has been
kindly lent to us hy M. Coulon, o f Neuchatel, that the same bii-d liad been previously described
b y Tschudi in his “ Fauna Peruana,” under the latter name. We, therefore, adopt Tschudi’s
appellation for this speeies, although his description is in-ecognizable, superseding the name
chilensis with less i-egret, inasmuch as it seems to be very doubtful whether the bird has ever
occurred in Chili.
The present species belongs to the second section o f the genus Fúlica as arranged b y Dr.
Hartlaub, in which the imdertail-coverts are black with merely a slight white edging on eacli
side. In this respect it resembles its gigantic neighbours o f the same country, F. gigantea and
F. cornuta. From the fonner it may he distinguished by its smaller size and olive-coloured
feet, from the latter hy the absence o f the prominent caruncle on the forehead. In the present
species, however, the hcad-shield projects considerably beyond the line o f the culmen, and iW
w l