BY TOM IRKDALE. 777 



•this is quoted as " King's despatclies fioin Norfolk Island." I 

 feel certain that the Norfolk Island liabitat given in that place 

 is an error, as the only other time it is referred to is later on in 

 the same work, where obviously it is the editor's words. On the 

 ■other hand, every visitor to Lord Howe Island was impressed 

 by it and referred to it; and, though all the writers had 

 visited Norfolk Island, they write of it as a new bird. Here again 

 it must be observed that the discovery of Lord Howe Island was 

 made on a trip to Norfolk Island, and thus a garbled account 

 ■ could easily be produced. In this way I believe that tlie Norfolk 

 Island labels on some Lord Howe birds have been produced. 

 Thus, when the name Gallinrda alba was given to the White 

 Gallinule of Phillip's "Voyage" by Lathani(Index Ornith. ii., 

 p.76'S, 1790) the habitat is incorrectly shortened to "Norfolk 

 Island." In the "General Synopsis, Supplement ii.,(23. 327), 

 1802," Latham adds White's name to the synonymy, amends his 

 •description to cover White's details, yet retains " Norfolk Island " 

 as the sole habitat. Von Pelzeln states that White's type was 

 labelled " Norfolk Island." That bird was figured in the "Ibis" 

 (1873, p.295). The skin is preserved in Vienna. The only other 

 specimen known is in the Liverpool Museum. Rowley, in the 

 "Ornithological Miscellany "(Vol. i., p. 37, 1875), figures the 

 latter as Porphyrio stanleyi, and gives a good historical account 

 of the White Gallinule. H. O. Porbe.s(Bull. Liverpool Museum, 

 Vol. ii., 1901, p. 62) has re-examined the Liverpool specimen, and 

 asserts its identity with the Vienna Ijird. In that paper some 

 statements are made which seem incompatible with the habitat 

 ■of Lord Howe Island. The history to me seems incomplete, but 

 Forbes accepts the statement that it was " brought by Sir J. 

 Banks," " New Zealand rare," and consequently it must have 

 reached this country in June, 1771. I doubt this, and find con- 

 firmation in Forbes' own words : — " Unlike most of the birds 

 In'ought home hy Captain Cook it was not mummified;" and later, 

 " it is evident its pose was modelled from the Plate of the White 

 •Gallinule drawn by Miss Stone for White's Journal published in 

 i790." This suggests that the data, " brought by Sir J. Banks " 



