320 BIRDS OF DAMARA LAND. 



Measurements of three females : 



in. lin. in. lin. in. lin. 



Entire length 83...80...710 



Length of folded wing i ; . 4 1 ... 4 ... 8 11 



tarsus . ... 1 6 ... 1 6 ... 1 6 



middle toe .. 1 8 ... 1 6 ... 1 8 



tail 23. ..20. ..21 



biU 10 ... 9 ... 11 



[I have copied from Mr. Andersson's note-book the above 

 memoranda, which I have reason to believe refer to this species, 

 two specimens of which (apparently an adult and an immature 

 bird) were contained in his last collection. Both of these spe- 

 cimens were purchased by Mr. Frank, the well-known dealer in 

 objects of natural history, by whom the younger bird was resold 

 to the Leyden Museum, where it was kindly shown to me by 

 Professor Schlegel, who agreed with me in referring it to the 

 present species. This Crake has not been figured. ED.] 



373. Alecthelia dimidiata (Temm.). Temminck's Crake. 



Gallinula dimidiata, Smith's Zool. of S. Africa, pi. 20. 

 Corethrura dimidiata, Gurney, Birds Damar., in Proc. of Zool. Soc. 

 1864, p. 3. 



Andersson, ibid. p. 8. 



Layard's Cat. No. 635. 



Gallinula dimidiata, Chapman's Travels in S. Afr v App. p. 421. 



I have only found this species at Omanbonde, where 

 it is not uncommon and breeds. It frequents stagnant 

 waters thickly fringed and studded with aquatic herbage, 

 amongst the ever progressive decay of which it loves to 

 disport itself and to search for food. It is very shy and 

 retired in its habits, seldom going far from effective 

 cover, and gliding through the mazes of the rank vege- 

 tation with astonishing ease and swiftness. 



The bill is reddish brown, tinged with yellowish on 



