190 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



The skull shows a schizognathous palate with holorhinal nasals and without 

 basipterygoid processes ; the lachrymals do not join the ectethmoids, which have 

 a process jointing the frontal, producing a foramen. The cervical vertebrae vary 

 from fifteen to twenty-one, the Rails fifteen, the Finfeet seventeen, Grebes twenty-one. 

 The sternum is singly notched on each side of its posterior margin ; the furcula is 

 somewhat variable in position. The carotids vary, the syrinx is typically tracheo- 

 bronchial, and the digestive system periccelous, caeca long. The leg muscle formula 

 varies, the Rails showing ABXY+, the Finfeet ABX-f, and the Grebes BX-, 

 the expansor secundariorum as also the biceps is variable. The oil gland is generally 

 tufted, the aftershaft present and the wing aquincubital or quincubitai (in the 

 Finfeet.) The pterylosis is somewhat variable and the nestlings hatched covered 

 with down. Fossil Rails are comparatively frequent, but they are generally of 

 flightless form, and show convergence in the most marked manner, as the famous 

 instance of Aplianapieryx from the Mauritius and Diaphoroapteryx from the Chatham 

 Islands recalls, the bones being regarded as congeneric on account of their similarity. 

 Again Tribonyx was used for a Madagascar Rail, the author admitting its usage 

 was due to non-differentiation of the osteological items, though probably no near 

 relation of the living birds was a fact. 



SUBORDER RALLIFORMES. 



We allow three families in this suborder, Rails (including Crakes), Moorhens 

 and Coots. These are easily separable by almost intangible superficial features, 

 the bill in the first named developing no frontal plate, while a more or less strongly 

 formed frontal plate is seen in the latter two, which differ in the peculiar lobe formation 

 surrounding the toes in the Coots. The general distribution of the whole three is 

 world wide, but Coots do not occur in New Zealand. Rails and Crakes are more or 

 less land forms, generally living about swamps but not swimming ; Moorhens frequent 

 water more commonly and swim a lot, while Coots invariably swim. 



Osteologically the skull is schizognathous and holorhinal, but in order to estimate 

 the value of the last term Nesdimnas has been cited as having schizorhinal nasals. 

 The schizorhiny in this case is pseudo-holorhiny, and not schizorhinal as used in the 

 Limicoline series ; there are no basipterygoid processes and the lachrymals do not 

 fuse with the ectethmoids, while there are no supraorbital grooves. The cervical 

 vertebrae number fifteen, the sternum is singly notched with very long lateral processes 

 and the furcula does not reach the keel of the sternum. There are two carotids, 

 the syrinx is typically tracheo-bronchial with little variation and the digestive system 

 typically periccelous with the caeca long. The leg muscle formula is ABXY+, 

 and the expansor secundariorum is present, as also the biceps. The oil gland is 

 tufted, but exceptions have been recorded, while an aftershaft is present and the 

 wing aquincubital. The pterylosis is variable and has been little studied. The 

 downy nestling is generally able to swim from birth. 



FAMILY RALLIDJE. 



Includes the Rails and Crakes, non-swimming Ralline forms of varied superficial 

 features but very similar internal characters. 



Genus RALLUS. 



Eallus Linn6, Syst. Nat., 10th ed., p. 153, Jan. 1st, 1758. Type (by subsequent designation 



Fleming, Mem. Werner. Soc., Vol. III., p. 176, 1821) : Rattus aquaticus Linne. 



Lewinia Gray, Cat. Gen. Subgen. Birds, p. 120, (Oct.) 1855 (ex Reichb. and Pr. B(onaparte), 



MS.). Type (by original designation) : R. lewinii Swainson = Rattua pectorali* Temminck 



et Laugier. 



Donacias Heine und Reichenow, Nomencl. Mus. Hein., p. 321, (pref. Sept.) 1890. New name 



for Lewinia Gray. 



