268 NOVITATES ZOOLOGICAE XXIV. 1917. 



wards to Turkestan, and North Africa, north of the Sahara. I am not able 

 to say whether the specimens obtained in Dauria (Tran-sbaikaUa) belong to 

 this form or to the Chinese one. Wholly or partially migratory in the northern 

 portions of its area. (Series from North Africa not available.) 



2. Gallinula chloropus parvifrons Blyth. 



Oalliniila parvijrons Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, xii. p. 180 (1843 — Calcutta). 

 (? Gallinula burnesi Blyth, op. cit. xxiii. p. 737, 1854. Described from a drawing which presents 

 no white under tail-coverts and no white stripes on the flanks. From Kabul.) 



In every way like G. c. chloropus, but smaller, wings shorter. Wings : (J 

 156-176, sometimes to 182, ? 155-165 mm. 



India, south to Ceylon, eastwards through China to the Eiu-Kiu (Loo- 

 Choo) Islands, and Japan, where it is, however, by no means common. Pro- 

 bably Thibet specimens belong to this race, too. Of. C. H. B. Grant, Ibis, 

 1915, p. 48. 



3. Gallinula chloropus orientalis Horsf. 



Oallinula orientalis Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, xiii. p. 195 (1820 — Java). 



Easily distinguishable by its bluish slate-coloured upper wing-coverts, 

 which lack the oHvaceous brown edges which are found in G. c. chloropus and 

 other races. Wings short, 145-167 mm. 



Java, Sumatra, Malay Peninsula ; Celebes (rare). Specimens from the 

 Philippine Islands seem mostly to belong to this form, but some have the wings 

 much bro^vner. Their wings are sometimes longer than in G. c. orientalis. They 

 stand thus somewhat between G. c. orientalis and parvifrons and resemble G. c. 

 guami. Unfortunately not many specimens could be examined. 



4. Gallinula chloropus guami subsp. nov. 



Upper wing-coverts darker than in G. c. chloropus and parvifrons, with 

 very little olive-brown, but not uniform slate-colour as in orientalis. Wings : 

 (J ? 165-175, exceptionally as long as 180 mm. 



Island of Guam, Marianne Islands. 



Type: <J ad., Guam, 11. xii. 1894. Collected by the late Alan Owston's 

 Japanese collectors. In the Tring Museum. 



I have examined thirty-six examples from Guam. Cf. Nov. Zool. 1898, 

 pp. 62-64, where I not only described the status of the Moorhen on Guam, 

 but also discussed some of the other forms of Gallinula. That short review, 

 however, was very incomplete and faultj', and docs not favourably compare 

 with our present knowledge. 



5. Gallinula chloropus brachyptera (Brehm). 



Stagnicola brachyptera Brehm, Vogelfang, p. 331 (1855 — " Mittelafrika "). 



(Mr. C. H. B. Grant [Ibis, 1915, p. 48] adopts for this race Brehm's name 

 tneridionalis, published on the same page, one line above brachyptera. I cannot 

 follow this ; Brehm said it had the edge of the wing and under wing-coverts 

 ferrugineous ("rostfarben "), which is not the case in any Gullimtla chloropus, 



