BUFF-BANDED BAIL. 195 



against typical culmen 31, wing 144, tarsus 43 mm. ; H. p. mdlori (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. sethsmithi (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 13(KL55, 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. lesouefi 

 (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 Mores, 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. 



Eidabeornis 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. 



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