Rail from Macquarie Island. 455 



RaLLUS MACQUAllIENSIS, Sp. IIOV. 



General plumage dull brown, without any bright tints. 

 Top of the head dark brown, each feather slightly bordered 

 with olive-brown ; a broad streak from the base of the bill, 

 through and below the eye, brown, passing into dark chest- 

 nut, washed with olive, on the sides of the neck ; a streak 

 from near the base of the upper mandible over the eye, 

 enlarged backwards over the ear, grey ; chin white ; throat 

 grey, passing into an indistinct transverse rufous band on 

 the chest; breast grey, passing into dirty white on the 

 abdomen. Feathers of the flanks black, with three white 

 transverse bars, and tipped beyond the last bar with oliva- 

 ceous brown, which forms the general tint of the flanks, 

 unless the feathers are opened by the hand. Under tail- 

 coverts olivaceous brown, the feathers black at the base, and 

 a few of the central ones with white transverse bars. Back 

 of the neck dark brown, tinged with rufous. Back dark 

 brown, each feather rather broadly margined with olive- 

 brown ; some of the feathers on the upper part of the back 

 with a small white spot, margined with black on each side. 

 Primaries dark brown; the first margined externally with 

 olivaceous brown, the inner web with five narrow white bands, 

 which do not reach the shaft ; the second with four rufous 

 bars on the outer web, and five narrow white bars on the 

 inner; remaining primaries with broad rufous bars on both 

 webs, rufous being the predominant colour of the feathers, 

 except near the tips. Secondaries like the primaries, but 

 margined on both sides with olive-brown. Wing-coverts 

 like the back, but the feathers more broadly margined with 

 olive-brown ; most of them with two or three white spots on 

 each side. Under wing-coverts black, barred with white. 

 Thighs brown. Tail dark brown, the feathers pointed. 



Length 11"5 inches ; expanse 16 inches ; bill — culmen 1'14, 

 height -4, breadth -3, length to gape 1*3; head 1*25; wing 

 5 "5 ; tail 28 ; tarsus 1*4 ; hind toe (without claw) 1"4 ; inner 

 toe 1 ; outer toe 1-05 ; hind toe "37. 



Irides brick-red. Bill and legs dusky brown. Bill rather 

 shorter than the head, strong, conical, the culmen but little 



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