98 The Philippine Journal of Science 1919 
in Fulica and in Gallinula, though feebly so in either case. Por- 
phyrio has simply a shallow, central depression there to guide 
the passage of the tendons of the muscles coming down from 
the leg. 
. Our big gallinule has the shaft of the long tarsometatarsus 
somewhat flattened on its anterior and posterior aspects, and 
these surfaces are strongly grooved for their entire lengths, 
particularly on the hinder aspect, where the tendinal gutter 
runs the entire length of the straight shaft of this element of 
the pelvic limb. 
A large accessory metatarsal is present, being hinged to the 
shaft by strong ligament at its usual site in ordinary birds; it © 
supports the big phalanx and claw of hallux. All the other 
phalangeal joints of the three anterior toes of pes are lengthy 
and of considerable caliber, as will be seen by referring to Plate 
II, fig. 8. 
This brief review of the osteology of Porphyrio shows it to 
be a form possessing many of the characters of the typical 
paludicoline fowls; at the same time it exhibits not a few others 
that are distinctly generic in kind, especially those that have 
been described above as pertaining to the skull and to the pelvis. 
NOTES ON THE OSTEOLOGY OF TACHYBAPTUS PHILIPPENSIS 
(BONNATERRE) 
Early in August, 1917, when Mr. McGregor sent me the skele- 
tons of Porphyrio pulverulentus, he also sent for my examination 
rough skeletons of Tachybaptus philippensis (Bonnaterre) and 
Hydrophasianus chirurgus (Scopoli); one each of these two 
species has been cleaned for me by Mr. Scollick, of the United 
States National Museum, an assistance for which I have to thank 
Dr. James E. Benedict, chief of exhibits of that institution. 
When Mr. McGregor sent me these skeletons, he also included 
brief life histories of Tachybaptus and Hydrophasianus, which 
I may some day use in another connection; the present brief 
notes refer, as their title indicates, simply to their osteology. 
The specimen of Tachybaptus philippensis, an adult male from 
Paete, Laguna, Luzon, P. I.; March 26, 1917 (McGregor), is 
No. 226033, United States National Museum. The entire skele- 
ton of this bird presents the characters of those found in that 
part of the anatomy of any small average grebe. Indeed, they 
are quite typical, as I find to be the case upon comparing the 
various bones with the corresponding ones in the skeleton of 
Podilymbus podiceps (No. 17272, United States National 
