410 Zoological Society : — 



antiquity compared with any of the monuments which Man himself 

 has reared, even in the country most usually regarded as the cradle 

 of his race. 



On the Species of the American genus Parra. 

 By Philip Lutley Sclater, M.A., F.Z.S. 



The American birds of the genus Parra, together with their repre- 

 sentatives in the Tropics of the Old World belonging to the genera 

 MetopidiuSy Hydralector and Hydrophasianus, constitute a very 

 natural group, allied in many respects to the Rallidce, but remark- 

 able for the extreme elongation of the toes — a formation beautifully 

 adapted for enabling them to walk upon the floating leaves of the 

 numerous water-plants of these countries. 



MM. Verreaux of Paris have kindly furnished me from their well- 

 stored magazines with a series of specimens of Parra, which enabled 

 me to point out to the Society the distinctions between all the 

 hitherto known species of this genus, and to indicate one certainly 

 new, and a second, which although not so obviously distinct, has 

 some claim to be recognized as an intermediate species. 



A. Species caruncula front ali hilobata et caruncula rictali utrinque 

 prceditcB. 



1. Parra jacana. 



Parra jacana et variabilis, Linn, et Gm. 

 Parra nigra et brasiliensis, Gm. 

 Parra jacana. Max. Beitr. iv. 786. 

 Parra jassana, Schomb. Reise, iii. 759. 

 Jacana du Mexique, Buff. PI. Enl. 322 (adult). 

 Jacana du Bresil, Buff. PI. Enl. 846 (juv.). 



Capite toto cum cervice supera et corpore infra nigris : dorso, alis 

 caudaque dare castaneis : tectricibus caudcd superioribus purpu- 

 rascente tinctis : remigibus flavescenti-viridibus, nigra extus 

 partim marginatis : hypochondriis et tectricibus subalaribus in- 

 tense castaneis. 

 Hah. South-eastern Brazil (P. Max.) ; British Guiana (Schomb.) ; 

 Cayenne ; ins. Trinidad. 



The examples of this bird which I have seen from Guiana and 

 Cayenne appear to be considerably inferior in size to the Brazilian 

 specimen, but I am not yet certain how far this may be due to sexual 

 differences. 



2. Parra intermedia, sp. nov. ? 



*^ Parra intermedia, Bp.," J. et E. Verreaux, MS. 



Capite toto cum cervice supera et corpore infra nigris : dorso, alis 

 caudaque obscurius castaneis, purpurascente paululum tinctis : 

 hypochondriis et tectricibus subalaribus brunnescenti-castaneis : 

 remigibus flavescenti-viridibus, nigro extus partim marginatis. 



Hah. Venezuela ( Verreaux) . 



