Recently published Ornithological Works, 765 



of Tribonyx, and Eiilabeornis castaneiventris. The full life- 

 history of the last of these species is now brought to light by 

 Mr. J. P. Rogers, collecting for Mr. Mathews. 



The author draws attention to the fact that Rallus feather- 

 stoni of Buller from New Zealand was at once pronounced 

 by Hutton to be the British Land-Rail^ and that a specimen 

 has since been procured in Australia ; he has also unearthed 

 Temminck^s original description of Rallus pectora/is, which 

 specific name takes precedence oi R.brachypus of Swainson. 

 Neither of these facts appears in the ' Catalogue of Birds in 

 the British Museum' (vol. xxiii.). Moreover, the discovery 

 that the form from Western Australia should be separated 

 as R. p. clelandi has led Mr. Mathews to the conclusion 

 that the bird should be placed in the genus Rallus and 

 not Hypokenidia. This has necessitated the cancelling of 

 pp. 183-4. 



The genera Poliolimnas and Microtribonyx of Sharpe are 

 given up, while Amaurornis is no longer separated from 

 GalUnula — all decided changes for the better, as the 

 characteristics are not truly generic. 



Eulabenrnis {Hyjyot^enldia) philippensis is now divided into 

 no less than twelve subspecies, of which seven are new ; 

 other new subspecies proposed by Mr. Mathews are E. tricolor 

 robinsoni and E. tricolor grayi, while Porzana palustris 

 and P. plumhea are to stand as P. pusilla palustris and 

 P. plumbea immaculata. Reference should also be made to 

 the preceding Notice (Ibis, 1911, p. 570). 



96. Mathews 07i Two tiew Australian Birds. 



[Two new Australian Birds. By Gregory M. Mathews. Nov. Zool. 

 xviii. p. 22.] 



The new birds described are subspecies, Geryone albiyu- 

 laris rogersi from Derby, N.W. Australia, and AUsterus 

 cyanopygius minor from Cairns, North Queensland. The 

 eggs of the former and of Poephila personata belchcri are 

 described. 



