Birds of Gough Island. 253 



Cunha, where it is now confined to Inaccessible Island, 

 though it was formerly also found on the main island of the 

 group. 



The Gough Island birds of this genus differ remarkably 

 among themselves, and whether they represent two species 

 or only one in various stages of plumage is a matter on 

 which opinions differ. At first I was under the impression 

 that they were representatives, sexual or otherwise, of a 

 single species, but an examination of the material revealed 

 characters which it was difficult to reconcile with such an 

 opinion, and which led me to describe them as two species. 

 My reasons for doing so will be explained in the systematic 

 portion of this contribution. 



The Gallinule or "Island Hen" (Porphyriornis comeri) 

 appears to differ only slightly from the species (P. nesiotis) 

 found on Tristan Island ; though, on the other hand, both 

 of them would seem, if report is to be relied upon, to be 

 widely different from the representative of the family found 

 on Inaccessible Island (see Moseley, " Naturalist on the 

 < Challenger/ " p. 122). 



These three terrestrial endemic birds are, moreover, 

 representatives of genera entirely unknown elsewhere 

 except in Tristan da Cunha ; and thus Gough Island, 

 though lying over 200 miles to the south, must be looked 

 upon omitkologically as an outlier of the Tristan group. 

 The relationship is, however, somewhat remote, for the 

 Buntings found on Inaccessible and Gough Islands are 

 specifically very distinct ; and Tristan possesses a peculiar 

 genus of Thrush, Nesocichla, with a single species (N. ere- 

 mita), which is not at present known to have any repre- 

 sentative on Gough Island. 



The other birds forming the ornis of Gough Island are 

 mostly Tubinares. The number of species of this Order 

 observed during the short visit of the ' Scotia' is quite 

 remarkable, and it would seem probable that a thorough 

 investigation of the island — as yet almost untrodden by 

 the foot of man — in the summer-season would reveal the 

 fact that it is a perfect paradise as a breeding-station for 



