^^O^ii'^] BANGS — AMERICAN GALLINULE 97 



Characters. — Size and proportions about as in G. c. galeata of southeastern 

 South America. 



General color, 'dark plumbeous'; back and wings extensively suffused 

 with brown, which varies, often in the same individual, from 'argus brown' 

 through 'Brussels brown' to 'raw umber.' In most fully adult individuals 

 the whole back, rumj) and wings, cxcc{)t lesser coverts, are brown. 



Measurements. — Specimens from continental North America vary but 

 little in size. In a long series of Florida skins, irrespective of sex, the wing 

 ranged from 1G9 to 178; tail, 69 to 73; tarsus, 48 to 50; bill to gape, 28 

 to 31.5. Individuals from other regions, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, etc., 

 afforded measurements practically similar. 



Examples from different islands of the West Indies show some slight 

 differences: the Jamaican bird is large; the Grand Cayman one, small. 

 The Galapogos bird also is small. The number of fully adult specimens, 

 however, is too small to make possible any reliable conclusions. The 

 following table shows the variations of the few I have measured. 



MEASUREMENTS (in millimeters). 



Remarks. — This form is easily told from G. c. galeata, to which it 

 has always been referred, by the color of the back and wings, which 

 in the North American bird is rich brown, in the South American, 

 olivaceous. 



It may be possible to subdivide it .still farther when long series 

 from all West Indian Islands are brought together. The isolated 

 Californian birds also should be carefully compared, and I have a 

 strong suspicion that the island race inhabiting the Galapagos is 

 really distinct. In color, however, I can find no constant differ- 

 ence presented by the large number of specimens I have examined, 

 in spite of the enormous area from which they come. 



