﻿442 
  Bulletin 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  

  

  Museum, 
  and 
  to 
  Count 
  Berlepsch, 
  for 
  the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  de- 
  

   scribing 
  this 
  new 
  species 
  from 
  an 
  island 
  in 
  the 
  natural 
  

   history 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  am 
  particularly 
  interested. 
  

  

  The 
  Hon. 
  Walter 
  Rothschild 
  exhibited 
  an 
  example 
  of 
  a 
  

   new 
  species 
  of 
  Rail, 
  which 
  he 
  described 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Rallus 
  muelleri, 
  sp. 
  n. 
  

  

  Upper 
  surface 
  of 
  head, 
  occiput, 
  and 
  neck 
  brownish 
  red, 
  

   faintly 
  and 
  irregularly 
  striated 
  with 
  black 
  ; 
  back 
  and 
  rump 
  

   bright 
  chestnut, 
  with 
  the 
  centres 
  of 
  the 
  feathers 
  black 
  ; 
  wings 
  

   brownish 
  black, 
  faintly 
  edged 
  with 
  rufous 
  grey 
  ; 
  cheeks 
  red- 
  

   dish 
  grey 
  ; 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  throat 
  reddish 
  white 
  ; 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  

   throat 
  and 
  breast 
  rufous 
  grey; 
  flanks, 
  abdomen, 
  and 
  under 
  

   tail-coverts 
  black, 
  each 
  feather 
  tipped 
  with 
  pale 
  rufous, 
  and 
  

   with 
  two 
  white 
  bands 
  ; 
  tail 
  rufous, 
  with 
  indistinct 
  grey 
  bands. 
  

   Wing 
  3'3 
  inches, 
  culmen 
  Tl, 
  tarsus 
  1*1, 
  central 
  toe 
  with 
  

   claw 
  1-3, 
  tail 
  1-3. 
  

  

  Hab. 
  Auckland 
  Island, 
  south 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand. 
  

  

  Remarks. 
  This 
  little 
  Rail 
  in 
  general 
  appearance 
  resembles 
  

   Rallus 
  lewini 
  from 
  Australia, 
  but 
  on 
  comparison 
  presents 
  so 
  

   many 
  important 
  diff'erences 
  that 
  it 
  might 
  almost 
  be 
  separated 
  

   generically. 
  The 
  chief 
  distinguishing 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  

   species 
  is 
  the 
  enormous 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  feathers 
  on 
  the 
  

   back 
  and 
  rump, 
  which 
  have 
  become 
  a 
  huge 
  bunch 
  like 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  Pufl'-birds 
  [Bucco) 
  of 
  South 
  America. 
  

  

  The 
  single 
  specimen 
  was 
  sent 
  to 
  me 
  for 
  description 
  by 
  Count 
  

   Berlepsch, 
  who 
  considered 
  it 
  to 
  belong 
  to 
  a 
  new 
  species. 
  It 
  

   is 
  the 
  property 
  of 
  the 
  Stuttgart 
  Museum. 
  It 
  is 
  named 
  in 
  

   honour 
  of 
  the 
  famous 
  botanist. 
  Baron 
  von 
  Miiller, 
  of 
  Mel- 
  

   bourne, 
  who 
  presented 
  the 
  specimen. 
  

  

  The 
  Hon. 
  Walter 
  Rothschild 
  exhibited 
  three 
  new 
  birds 
  

   which 
  he 
  had 
  lately 
  received 
  from 
  his 
  collector 
  in 
  the 
  Sand- 
  

   wich 
  Islands, 
  and 
  characterized 
  them 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Acrulocercus 
  bishopi, 
  sp. 
  n. 
  

  

  Adult 
  male. 
  Head 
  and 
  occiput 
  black, 
  with 
  a 
  slight 
  gloss 
  ; 
  

   shafts 
  of 
  the 
  feathers 
  rather 
  paler. 
  Rest 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  and 
  

  

  