BUFF-BANDED RAIL. 195 
against typical culmen 31, wing 144, tarsus 43 mm.; H. p. mellori (Mathews) from 
South-west Australia, darker than the preceding above but similar below ; H. p. yorki 
(Mathews) from North Queensland, which may include some New Guinea birds, 
is smaller and with a darker buff pectoral band ; H. p. sethsmitht (Mathews) from 
the Fiji Islands, a little larger with the pectoral band obsolete and lower throat grey, 
average culmen 34, wing 148, tarsus 46 mm. ; H. p. forsteri Hartlaub from Tonga, 
darker than the preceding with more spotting on the wing-coverts, shorter bills 
and wings, but longer tarsi, culmen 28-30, wing 132-141, tarsus 40-43 mm. ; H. p. 
goodsoni (Mathews) from Samoa, a larger form with a faint pectoral band, darker 
below and tail much barred with white ; culmen 32-36, wing 136-155, tarsus 
46-48 mm.; H. p. swindellsi (Mathews) from New Caledonia, a very dark race, 
scantily spotted above and very closely barred with black below ; faint red hind-neck, 
faint pectoral wash only ; culmen 31-33, wing 143, tarsus 41-43 mm.; H. p. lesouéfi 
(Mathews) from New Hanover, nearly as dark as preceding, but with lower hind-neck 
barred with white and a distinct pectoral band ; culmen 32-33, wing 136-141, tarsus 
40-43 mm.; H. p. assimilis (Gray) a very well-marked form with almost uniform 
dull brown upper-surface, no red hind-neck, and large bill, abnormally developed 
wing-coverts and long secondaries, well-marked pectoral band ; culmen average 
37 mm., wing 146, tarsus 42 mm.; H. p. macquariensis Hutton, from the Macquarie 
Islands, with a shorter bill and wing and darker above and below, culmen 29-33, 
wing 122-131, tarsus 39-41 mm. ; H. p. chandleri (Mathews) from Celebes, nearest 
to the typical race but with a distinct red hind-neck, more spotted above, generally 
darker and no pectoral band, more pronounced barring underneath, dusky lores 
and shorter secondaries, culmen 31-32, wing 147, tarsus 43; H. p. wilkinsoni 
(Mathews) from South Flores, larger than preceding, culmen 32-33, wing 155-157, 
tarsus 45-46; and H. p. andrewsi (Mathews) from Cocos Keeling Group, a distinct 
race, with much white spotting above, the rump even spotted, well-marked hind- 
neck of dull red, and distinct brick-coloured pectoral band, culmen 33, wing 148, 
and tarsus 42 mm. 
There may be more subspecies to be named. 
Genus EULABEORNIS. 
Eulabeornis Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.), 1844, p. 56, Sept. Type (by monotypy) : 
E. castaneoventris Gould. 
Large Rails with long stout bills, medium wing, long tail and stout legs and 
feet. The bill is straight with the tip decurved, much laterally compressed, culmen 
ridge flattened ; nasal groove large and deep, extending more than half the length 
of the bill, nostrils as linear pervious slits about the middle of the groove; the 
lower mandible stout, with a shallow groove half way along, reaching almost to the 
gonydial angle ; the gonys being nearly half the length of the mandible ; interramal 
space narrow and feathered ; depth of the bill about one-third of its length. The 
wing rounded with the third, fourth, and fifth primaries longest, the second equal 
to the sixth and the first about equal to the ninth; the inner secondaries long, 
almost equal to the second primary. The tail, composed of twelve feathers, some- 
what decomposed, and of rounded shape, the outer ones being notably shorter, is 
more than half the length of the wing. The legs are long and stout, the scaling in 
front of the tarsus being regular transverse scutes, those of the back being broken 
into hexagonal scales and becoming confused with the hexagonal scaling of the 
sides ; the tarsus is longer than the culmen and about half the length of the tail. 
The toes are long and strong ; the middle toe longest, the inner just a little shorter 
than the outer, the hind-toe short and stout and somewhat opposed ; all the claws 
stout and sharp. 
Coloration olive above, head and throat ashy, chestnut below. 
