AMAURORNIS. 171 



Stoliczka, S. F. ii, p. 461 ; Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 161 ; Hume, 

 8. F. vii, p. 489 ; id. Cat. no. 911 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 769 j 

 Hume $ Marsh. Game B. ii, p. 217, pi. ; Vidal, 8. F. ix, p. 87 ; 

 Butler, ibid. p. 432 ; Damson, S. F. x, p. 415 ; . Reid, ibid. p. 453 ; 

 Taylor, ibid. p. 466 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 346 ; id. in Hume's N. # E. 

 2nd ed. iii, p. 390 ; Ba *nes, Birds Bom. p. 372 ; Hume fy Cripps, 

 S. F. xi, p. 329; Sharpe, Yark. Miss., Aves, p. 146. 



Kallina fusca, Hume, N. fy E. p. 604 ; Oates # Hume, S. F. iii, 

 p. 188 ; Hume, ibid. p. 500 ; Anders. Yunnan Exped.,Aves, p. 691. 



Limnobsenus fuse us, Sharps, Cat. B. M. xxiii, p. 146. 



Coloration. Upper parts dark brownish olive; rump, upper tail- 

 coverts, and tertiaries browner ; auills and tail dark brown ; fore- 

 head and sinciput, sides of head, including supercilia, and of neck, 

 and lower parts to abdomen vinous chestnut; sides of body and 

 abdomen brown tinged with olive, the latter streaked with white ; 

 lower tail-coverts blackish with broader white fringes. In many 

 skins, irrespective of sex, the chin and throat are whitish or 

 white. 



Young birds are dusky olive throughout, except the chin, throat, 

 and middle of abdomen, which are whitish. Apparently the rufous 

 garb is gradually assumed, beginning on the head. 



Bill greenish brown ; iris crimson ; eyelids plumbeous, the edges 

 red ; legs and toes red (Oates). 



Length 8'5 ; tail 2'1 ; wing 4 ; tarsus 1'4 ; bill from gape ]. 



Distribution. India, Ceylon, and Burma, ranging to Java, the 

 Philippines, China, and Japan. This species is common in Lower 

 Bengal and along the Lower Himalayas as far west as Kashmir, 

 where it breeds, but is rare in the Upper Provinces and not known 

 to occur in the Western Punjab, Sind, Rajputana, or Guzerat, 

 whilst throughout the Peninsula it is only known to have been 

 obtained in Mysore and the Wynaad, though Vidal saw \vhat he 

 believed was this species near E-atnagiri. It is a winter visitor to 

 Ceylon. It is common in Pegu, and has been found at Shillong 

 and Dibrugarh in Assam, also in Arrakan and in Yunnan, but not 

 in Tenasserim. 



Habits, fyc. Around Calcutta, as observed by Hume, this Rail is 

 common on rushy ponds, where it seeks food on the floating leaves 

 of water-lilies and other plants, and amongst reeds and grass in 

 swamps. It swims jerkily like a Moorhen. It has a soft call, 

 and feeds on insects and seeds. It breeds in Bengal from July to 

 September, makes the usual Kail's nest of grass or rush, and lays 

 about live eggs (perhaps more), creamy white with red and inky- 

 purple spots, chiefly at the broad end, and measuring about 1-2 

 by -84. 



1399. Amaurornis bicolor. Elwes's Crake. 



Porzana bicolor, Walden, A. M. N. H. (4) ix, p. 47 (1872) ; Godic.- 

 Aust. J. A. 8. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 174 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 283 ; id. 

 Cat. no. 911 bis; id. $ Marsh Game B. ii, p. 223, pi. ; Hume, 



,p. 113. 



S. F. xi, p. 329 ; tifarpe, Cat. B. M. xxiii, p. 113. 

 Porzana elwesi, Hume, S. F. iii, p. 283, note (1875). 



