130 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1894. 



A REVIEW OF THE OLD WORLD RALLIN^. 

 BY WITHER STONE. 



While engaged in identifying the Rallidse in the collection of the 

 Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, I was impressed with 

 the confusion which exists in regard to the synonymy of the Old 

 World members of the family, more especially with reference to the 

 generic position of many of the species and the limitation of the 

 several genera. 



G. R. Gray, in his Hand List, has increased the confusion to an ex- 

 traordinary degree, and it is difficult to imagine how he conceived 

 such an arrangement as is there proposed. 



Having had occasion to make a thorough investigation of the 

 literature bearing upon the Old World Rails, I think it desirable 

 to prepare the following list of the described species and genera 

 which brings together in one paper all the references to pub- 

 lished descriptions. Lack of sufficient material has prevented me 

 from making a monographic study of the group, but where 

 specimens were at hand I have been able to judge of the specific re- 

 lations of various described forms and to arrange the synonymy 

 accordingly. 



In other cases where the validity of species was in doubt I have 

 had to depend upon the statements of those authors who have had 

 actual specimens for comparison. 



This paper was nearly completed before I had an oppor- 

 tunity of examining Dr. Sharpe's scheme of classification of the 

 Rallidce (Ibis, 1893, p. 258). This is a mere list of genera arranged 

 according to the author's views with diagnoses of a number of new 

 genera. 



While it is impossible without better material for me to criticise 

 Dr. Sharpe's general arrangement it certainly seems that some 

 closely allied forms have been unduly separated. For instance, 

 while the old genus Rougetius is easily separable into two groups of 

 probable generic rank it does not seem to me that the differences 

 warrant the interposition of the entire series of Crakes between them. 



