POEPHYRIOENIS. GALLIXULA. 123 



Genus PORPHYRIORNIS, Allen. 



Porphyriornis nesiotis (Sd.). 

 (Plate IX. fig. 7.) 



Porphyriornis nesiotis, Sharpe, Cat. Birds B. M. xxiii. p. 166 (1894) f 

 id. Hand-l. i. p. 107 (1899). 



The egg of the Tristan d'Acunha Gallimile in the Collection 

 is of a narrow oval form, nearly ^lossless, and of a piakish cream- 

 colour, marked with a tew small roundish spots and some rather 

 large blotches of reddish brown. The blotches about the middle of 

 the Qg% are larger than those elsewhere. There are also some small 

 pale purple underlying blotches, evenly distributed over the shell. 

 It measures 1-95 by 1*3. 



1. Tristan d'Acunha Island. A. Earle, Esq. [P.]. 



Genus GALLINULA, Bviss. 

 Gallinula tenebrosa, Gould. 



Gallinula tenebrosa, Gould, Handb. Birds Austr. ii.p. 328 (1865) ; Camp- 

 bell, Nests Sf Erjgs Amtr. Birds, p. 60 (1883) ; North, Nests ^- Eggs 

 Austr. Birds, p. 325 (1889) ; S/iarpe, Cat. Birds B. M. xxiii. p. 168 

 (1894) ; id. Hand-l. i. p. 107 (1899). 



The eggs of the Sombre Gallinule in the Collection are of a 

 very broad oval form, have a considerable amount of gloss, and 

 are of a creamy- white colour, marked with numerous specks, spots, 

 streaks, and small blotches of a bright rusty brown, which are more 

 dense at the larger end than elsewhere. There are also a few 

 inconspicuous specks and spots of pale purple underlying the others. 

 The two specimens measure respectively : 1"57 by 1'17 ; 1'6 by 1-2. 



2. New South Wales. Gould Coll. 



Gallinula chloropus (Linn.). 



Gallinula chloropus, Thien. Fortpjlanz. qes. T'lii/. tab. Ixxiii. fig. 8, a-f 

 (1845-54) ; Baedeker, Bier Eur. 7 oy.'tab. 44. tig. 7 (1855-63); Heicii- 

 son, E(/gs of Brit. Birds, ii. p. 378, pi. cvii. tig. i (1856) ; Saimdcrs, Ibis, 

 1871, p. 225 ; iJresser, Birds Eur. vii. p. 313 (1879) ; Legye, Birds 

 Ceijl. p. 781 (1880) ; Seebuhm, Brit. Birds, ii. p. 557, pi. 23 (1884) ; 

 Otttes ed. Hume, Nests i^'- Eggs Lid. B. iii. p. 389 (1890) ; Sharpe, 

 Cat. Birds B. M. xxiii. p. 169 (1894) ; Seebohin, Eqqs of Brit. Birds, 

 p. ^7, pi. 22. fig. 7 (1896) : Grant ^- Ifliite/iead, ibis,'l898, p. 246; 

 Sharpe, Hand-l. i. p. 107 (1899). 



Gallinula chloropus, (.'«/•. pyrrhorrhoa, Milne-Edwards i.y Grandidier, 

 Hist. Nat. Madag., Ois'.ix. p. 594, pi. 306. fig. 5 (1885). 



The eggs of the Moor-hen are iioruially of a broad oval form, and 

 have a small amount of gloss. The ground-colour varies much, being 

 creamy white, pale greenish white, pale buff or pinkish buff. The 

 markings consist of specks, spots, and bold blotches of deep reddish 

 brown, and a few underlying pale purple spots. The combinations 

 in which these markings occur are numerous. In some, the 



