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COTURNICOPS AYRESII. 617 
two species of the genus were known, one, C. noveboracensis, being 
found in North America, and the second C. exquisita, of Swinhoe, 
from China. All the species are remarkable for the white patch on 
the secondaries. At present we only know this species from the 
Transvaal, where Mr. Ayres gives the following note on it :—‘‘ This 
pretty little fellow we call the White-winged Rail, from the white 
patch on the wing, which is very distinct when it is flushed and 
making away. I have only noticed this species here these last two 
seasons. It is very scarce: the two sent are the only specimens I 
have obtained, though I have seen one or two others. The bird shot 
on the 4th of October contained water insects in its stomach. 
The following is Mr. Gurney’s description. 
Adult female.—Crown of head and back of neck blackish brown, 
interspersed with dark rufous-brown spots, which are more numerous 
on the neck than on the head; sides of head mottled with pale and 
dark brown, the former slightly preponderating ; sides of neck rich 
rufous-brown, with narrow blackish brown tips to the feathers ; back 
black, with narrow white edgings to the feathers; an outer edging 
of olive-brown perceptible ; similar but more conspicuous brown 
edgings occur on the feathers of the greater and median wing- 
coverts, which, with this exception, are blackish brown, as are also the 
least coverts, all the coverts beg more or less spotted with white ; 
the primaries dull brown, the fifth and subsequent ones being slightly 
tipped with white ; all the secondaries pure white, except a brown 
shaft-mark, slightly spreading on to the webs at the base and the 
tip, and excepting also the last feather, which is slate-coloured, 
mottled with white; upper tail-coverts transversely marked with 
alternate bars of dark rufous and blackish brown, the latter being 
the broader; chin white, slightly tinged with rufous; and the throat 
the same, but with the feathers very narrowly edged with blackish 
brown ; breast rufous brown, but paler than the sides of the neck ; 
flanks and abdomen mingled black and white, the black predomi- 
nating on the flanks, the white on the abdomen; tibize resembling 
on the sides the coloration of the flanks, and on the front that of 
the abdomen; under tail-coverts transversely and alternately barred 
with pale rufous and black; wing-linings white, slightly mottled 
about the edges of the wing with blackish brown; axillaries white 
mingled with slaty brown. | 
Immature female-—Resembles the above, but shows more of the 
