BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA 45 



primaries. (Above olive, the pileum and entire underparts 

 rufous. ) 



Laterallus (subgenus Rufirallus) (extralimital)'" 

 66. With a distinct frontal shield (the rhinotheca extended onto the forehead, 



where more or less elevated and expanded) (Gallinuleae) 



c. Anterior end of nostril much nearer to tip of maxilla than to nearest 

 loral feathering; frontal shield small, its posterior extremity forming 

 an acute angle; gonys much shorter (its length equal to less than 

 depth of bill at posterior end of nostril), strongly ascending terminally; 



flanks spotted with white Porphyriops (extralimital)''^ 



cc. Anterior end of nostril much nearer to loral antia than to tip of 



maxilla ; frontal shield large, its posterior extremity broadly rounded 



or nearly tnmcated; gonys much longer (its length greater than 



depth of bill at posterior end of nostril), less strongly ascending 



terminally ; flanks not spotted. 



d. Bill much stouter, its depth at posterior end of nostril exceeding half 



the distance from posterior end of nostril to tip of maxilla ; frontal 



shield extending to beyond posterior angle of eyes, its posterior 



extremity forming a broad, obtuse angle ; nostril relatively shorter 



and much broader, the nasal fossa not distinctly defined ; anterior 



outline of feathering on sides of head forming a practically straight 



nearly vertical line; tarsus longer than outer toe without claw, 



the inner side of planta tarsi with a single continuous series of 



large transverse or quadrate scutella ; coloration (of adults) 



green, blue, and purplish ; flanks without white_ Porphyrula (p. 192) 



dd. Bill more slender, its depth at posterior end of nostril less than hahf 



the distance from posterior end of nostril to tip of maxilla ; frontal 



shield extending only as far as middle of eye, its posterior extremity 



broadly rounded to nearly truncated; nostril relatively longer and 



narrower, the nasal fossa very distinctly defined ; anterior outline of 



feathering on sides of head forming a very oblique line, broken at 



rictus; tarsus not longer (sometimes shorter) than outer toe without 



claw, inner side of planta tarsi with broken series of smaller, more 



irregular scutella ; coloration without green, blue, or purplish ; flanks 



striped with white Gallinula (p. 180) 



aa. Toes with distinct lateral lobes or marginal membrane Fulica (p. 204) 



Genus RALLUS Linnaeus 



Rallus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, i, 1758, 153. (Type, as designated by Flem- 

 ing, 1821, R. aquaticus Linnaeus). 



RaUis (emendation) Vieillot, Analyse, 1816, 61. 



ByporaUus Ieedalb and Mathews, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, xlvi, 1926, 76. (Type, by 

 original designation, Rallus muelleri Rothschild.) 



^^ Rufirallus Bonaparte, Compt. Rend., sliii, 1856, 599 (type, as designated by 

 Sclater and Salvin, 1869, Rallus caycnnensis Gmelin=jB. cayanensis Bod- 

 daert=i2. viridis Miiller). — Erythrolimnas Heine, in Heine and Reichenow, 

 Nom. Mus. Hein, Orn., 1890, 320 (substitute for Rufirallus, on grounds of 

 purism). South America. 



^^Porphyriops Pucheran, Rev. Zool., viii, 1845, 278 (type, by monotypy, 

 Fulica crassirostris J. E. Gra.j=Rallus melanops Vieillot). — Porphyreops (emen- 

 dation) Zuchold, Journ. fUr Orn., 1854, 353. — Eydrocicca Cabanis, Wiegmann's 

 Archiv fiir Naturg., 1847, i, 351 (type, by monotypy, Ralhis melanops Vieillot). 

 South America. Monotypic. 



