JRallus gularis 
from 
Madagascar, no. 
„ _ no. 
Aldabra (junr.) 
,, (adult) 
(jun.) 
(j un 0 
in the Island of Aldabra. 
167 
Middle toe 
Bill. 
Wing. 
Tarsus. 
(without 
claw). 
millim. 
millim. 
millim. 
millim. 
. 41 
148 
49 
44 
. 39 
147 
46 
41 
. 44 
119 
42 
38 
. 45 
116 
42 
34-5 
From these measurements it would also appear that the 
bill (which I have measured along the culmen) is slightly 
longer in the Aldabra specimens. Hartlaub, who gives the 
measurements of five Madagascar specimens (including one 
from the Mauritius), states the length of the bill to vary be¬ 
tween 41 and 43 millims., the longest bill observed by him 
thus being still 1 millim. shorter than in the Aldabra 
specimen. 
The least difference in the length of the wings of our Alda¬ 
bra and Madagascar specimens is as much as 28 millims. 
But in four Madagascar specimens examined by Hartlaub the 
wings were still longer than in ours, viz. 160-162 millims. ; 
and only in one example, that from Mauritius, does he give the 
length as low as 145 millims. Thus Capt. Wharton’s obser¬ 
vation that the Aldabra bird never uses its wings is quite in 
accordance with the actual condition of the organ of flight, 
and could only be confirmed by an examination and compari¬ 
son of the bones, if they were available for that purpose. In¬ 
deed, as far as it is possible to measure the bones covered by the 
skin, I have ascertained that the forearm of a Madagascar 
specimen measures 44 millims., whilst that of an Aldabra 
example is only 33 millims. long. 
Less conspicuous than the reduction of the wing, is that of 
the leg; yet the fact that both our Aldabra specimens have 
a shorter tarsus than any of the specimens from Madagascar 
of which the measurements are known, and that more especi¬ 
ally the middle toe is conspicuously shorter, is sufficiently 
significant to deserve the attention of future observers. Of 
the specimens examined by Hartlaub two had a tarsus of 52, 
one of 47, one of 45, and one of 43 millims. The minimum 
length of the tarsus observed by Schlegel and Pollen (Faune 
de Madag. Mammif. et Ois. p. 134) was 2(H lines = 47 
millims. 
Jxallus gularis is a native of Madagascar, in which island, 
especially in the northern half, it is common : one specimen 
only, the type in the Paris Museum, is said to have been 
brought from Mauritius ; but this is evidently only an iso¬ 
lated instance of an individual having strayed to Mauri- 
