6S 



NEW ZEALAND BIRDS, 



believes in Ral/us modestus of Hutton being a distinct species from 

 R. diejfenhachii. I examined the type of Captain Mutton's species, 

 and thoroughly bcheve it to be the young of the latter Rail, Per- 

 haps Captain llutton is right in referring this Rail to a genus or 

 sub-genus intermediate between RaJlus and Ocydromus ; and I have 

 therefore for the present adopted his genus Cabalus." — Sharpe, 



Ralltjs, L. 



Bill, as long as or longer than the head ; wings, short, second and third quills the 

 longest ; tail, short, rounded ; tarsi, shorter than the middle toe ; toes, long, slender, free 

 at the base ; hind too, short. 



All parts of the world. 



90. Rallus philippensis. Linn. 



Steiped Rail. Mohopereru. 

 (Plate XXVI.) 



Above, brownish-olive, spotted with white ; breast, abdomen, and sides, white, barred 

 with black, and with an irregular band of buff on the breast ; tliroat, and sides of tlic face, 

 grey ; a line of rufous through the eye to the nape ; quiUs, dark-brown banded with 

 rufous, 



L., 12-25 ; W., 6 ; B., 1-5 ; T., 1-5. 



Very variable both in colour and dimensions. 



Ugg. — Cream-colour, spotted with dark and light chestnut and grey ; length, 1'5 ; 

 breadth, 1-2. 



Hah. — Both Islands ; Australia, Polynesia, Celebes, Philippine Islands. 



91. Rallus dieffenbachii. Grai). 



MOERIKI. 



(Plate XXVI.) 

 Crown and nape, rusty-brown ; sides of head and throat, pale ash-grey, the former 

 crossed by a stripe of brown, -which changes to cliestnut on the ear-corerts, and, extending 

 further, forms a nuchal collar ; on the foreneck a zone of black, with rayed lines of white ; 



