536 CREX PORZANA. 



as to justify any attempt to separate the two species gene- 

 rically. It is, however, much inferior in size, and somewhat 

 more slender. Its body is deep and extremely compressed ; 

 the neck of moderate length ; the head oblong, much com- 

 pressed, and small. The bill is a third shorter than the 

 head, straight, rather stout, much compressed, tapering. 

 The upper mandible has the dorsal line decimate and straight 

 for half its length, then convexly declinate ; the nasal sinus 

 large, extending to half its length ; the ridge narrow and 

 convex, a little enlarged and angular at the base ; the edges 

 slightly inclinate, the tip narrow, but bluntish. The lower 

 mandible has the intercrural space rather long and very 

 narrow, the dorsal line ascending and straight, the sides 

 erect, the edges inclinate, the tip narrow; the gape-line 

 nearly straight, toward the end a little decurved. 



The nostrils are linear, sub-basal, three-twelfths long ; 

 the eyes small. The legs are of moderate length, rather 

 stout ; the tibia bare for nearly five-twelfths of an inch ; the 

 tarsus compressed, with twelve very broad anterior and more 

 numerous posterior scutella; the hind toe with eight, the 

 inner twenty, the third twenty-five, the outer twenty-eight 

 scutella. The claws are rather small, little curved, extremely 

 compressed, acute. 



The plumage is blended, very short on the head, gra- 

 dually more elongated on the hind parts ; the feathers oblong, 

 broadly rounded. The wings are rather short, broad, and 

 rounded ; the primaries broad and rounded, the second 

 longest, the first almost half-an-inch shorter ; the secondaries 

 twenty-three ; the inner much elongated and pointed, one of 

 them being only five-twelfths shorter than the longest pri- 

 mary when the wing is closed. There is a distinct rudi- 

 mentary bare blunt knob or spur at the flexure. The tail is 

 very short, much rounded, of twelve narrow, rounded, and 

 considerably induplicate feathers. 



The bill is brownish-yellow, brighter at the base. The 

 iris reddish-brown. The feet yellowish-green. The upper 

 part of the head, the hind-neck, back, and scapulars are 

 olive-brown, streaked with black, each feather having an 

 oblong medial patch of the latter colour ; the feathers of the 



