1886.] PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 407 



To this may be remarked, that while ii is true that in European speci- 

 mens white lateral tail-coverts are the rule, it is by no means without 

 exceptions. I have before me a specimen (U. S. Nat. Mus. No. 96530, 

 obtained in the Leadenhall Market, in October) in which nearly all the 

 feathers in question are strongly tinged with creamy buff'. It should^ 

 on the other hand, also be noted, that Mr. Blakiston compared the 

 Japanese specimens he collected with this very skin, which does not 

 represent the general style of coloration of the European form so far 

 as this character is concerned. 



Schlegel (Mus. P. B. Ralli, p. 47) makes the following remarks, based 

 on a material consisting of two adults, two in not fully developed plum- 

 age, and one skeleton: "Specimens from Japan. Absolutely similar 

 to those from Europe; they are conspicuous, however, for a somewhat 

 longer bill. Wing, 6 inches 3 lines [pied de roi ; = 169™"'] to 6 inches 8 

 lines [180°^°^] ; tail, 2 inches 7 lines [70"^^ | to 2 inches 11 lines [79"^" | ; bill, 

 14 to 16 lines [32 to Se-""'] ; widtb of frontal i)late, 3 to 4 lines [6.8 to 

 9""™] ; tarsus, 20 to 22 lines [45 to i^O™""] ; naked part of tibia 9 lines 

 [20'"'"] ; middle toe, 24 to 26 lines [54 to 59^"^]." 



The length of bill in European examples he gives as " 12 to 13 lines'^ 

 [27 to 29'"'"]. 



In confirmation of the above differences in regard to dimensions, I 

 may add, that in Mr. Blakiston's MSS. I find a remark to the effect that 

 he found " some differences in size." A few measurements are con- 

 tained in his MSS., which I reproduce as follows : 



Sex. 



Locality. 



Date. 



Total 

 I length. 



Wing. 



Blal£ist.,No. 2299 

 Blaki8t.,No. 1943 

 Blakist., No. 1428 



Hakodadi 



do .. 



do .. 



I mm. 



Sept. 8, If 77 308 



May 15, 1876 ! 302 



Sept. 13, 1873 302 



mm. 

 155 

 156 

 159 



During the U. S. Exploring Expedition to Japan a number of living 

 Moorhens were presented to Commodore Perry while he was staying at 

 the Liu-Kiu Island, August, 1854. Mr. Cassin (/. c), in commenting on 

 these, quotes as a synomym Blyth's GaUinula parvifrons, and remarks 

 that they are "not distinguisbable from tbe common European Gallinule, 

 except that the frontal plate is apparently smaller than is usually seen." 

 A close comparison between southern and northern Japanese specimens 

 is therefore very desirable. 



