ON THREE APPARENTLY UNDESCRIBED BIRDS — NORTH. 31 



distinguished by the deep rose-pink feathers of the crown of the 

 head and forehead, extending right on to the culmen, and having 

 no narrow intervening greenish band of feathers as found in the 

 former of these species, nor greenish grey forehead as in 

 P. smithsonianus ; moreover the chin, centre of throat, and vent 

 are white, and the tail is longer. Another specimen, evidently 

 an immature bird, judging by the feathers of the breast, has only 

 an indication of the rose-pink hue on the forehead, and the olive- 

 yellow patch on the centre of the breast is very much paler, and 

 only the extreme tips of the longer under tail-coverts are yellow 

 Win", 5 - 55 inches. 



'CM 



POHZANA ATRA, Sp. 110V. 



Adult. — The entire plumage black, with a slight gloss on the 

 upper parts ; " bill, black ; iris, ruby-red ; eyelid, orange-yellow ; 

 legs and feet, orange-yellow " (Stephen). Total length, 7 inches 

 wing, 3-1 ; tail, 1*6 ; bill, - 75 ; tarsus, 1-12. 



Type. — In the Australian Museum. 



Remarks. — The existence of a Water Crake on the island is 

 an important discovery, for Mr. Stephen informs me that no 

 permanent fresh water is found there. The two specimens he 

 procured are alike in plumage, and were obtained in thick scrub. 

 These birds were never seen to fly, but could run with great 

 rapidity, their legs and feet being comparatively thicker than the 

 Australian members of this genus. They were very tame, and 

 would approach near to the party while they were seated at 

 lunch in the scrub. The Black Water Crakes were shot by Mr. 

 Stephen with a revolver, as were also the other birds he obtained 

 on the island. The sexual organs were too mutilated to 

 satisfactorily identify the sex of the specimens. 



Mr. Stephen also showed me photographs of a young "Mutton 

 Bird " ( Pvfjinus, sp. 1) and of the egg of Gygis Candida, laid on 

 the limb of a tree. The eggs of this species were also found laid 

 on the top of bare rocks on the highest part of the island. 



The following are Mr. Stephen's notes : — " The birds in 

 spirits I presented to the Trustees of the Australian JMuseum 

 were collected by me on the 10th September, 1907, during 

 visit paid to Henderson Island by a party from the S.S. 'Tyrian, 

 under charter to the Pacific Phosphate Co., Ltd. 



"Henderson Island (Plate viii.) is an elevated coral islet 

 about six miles long and three miles broad, fifty feet 

 above sea level. The tableland is flat and roughly strewn 

 with dead coral fragments and pointed or knife-edged 



