Mr. R. Swiuhoe's Ornithological Notes made at Chefoo. 135 



still white, and the underparts not completely moulted. It 

 is figured in the MS. Illusti'ations as the Tsing-tsuy (M. D. 

 10978, 11209), or " Green-bill.'^ 



95. Button-Crake. Porzana [Coturnicops) exquisita, sp. 

 nov. (Plate III.) 



In company with the last this pretty little novelty was 

 brought. It is a complete miniature of the American C. 

 noveboracensis, as wiU be seen from a glance at the accom- 

 panying plate. 



Bill short, deep brown, greenish yellow on lower mandible 

 at base and on rictus ; legs and feet light flesh-brown, dark 

 on joints and claws ; iris brown. Length 5 inches ; wing 3, 

 •4 longer than tertiaries, '25 short of tail-tip, first quill '45 

 shorter than the second and longest ; bill in front "48, from 

 gape "55 ; tibia bare only just above the joint ; tarsi -78, 

 middle toe and claw 1*08 ; tail about 1*2, composed of appa- 

 rently only six soft feathers, entirely covered by the upper 

 and lower tail-coverts, and hard to distinguish. The two pri- 

 maries of the wing light hair-brown, the first pure white on 

 the outer web ; the seven secondaries white on their apical 

 two thirds, light brown on the basal third ; the first mottled 

 with brown on the white. Female on dissection. 



I saw no more of these till the 12th October, when Mr. 

 Michie was out for a stroU on the bank of a river beyond 

 the " Bois de Boulogne.^^ He walked through some coarse 

 tangled gi'ass, in which several of these were ensconced. 

 They were hard to flush, and when on the wing flew awk- 

 wardly and badly. He succeeded in securing three, two of 

 which were not too much injured to have preserved. They are 

 male and female, and apparently birds of the year. The 

 female is like the one above described, but has the upper 

 parts more washed with yellowish olive, her underparts more 

 mottled, and less white on the quiUs of her wings. The 

 male is much like her, but is much smaller, has even less 

 white on his wings, and has his underparts much less 

 mottled. 



