﻿inhabiting 
  the 
  Chatham 
  Islands. 
  531 
  

  

  29. 
  PORPHYRIO 
  CHATHAMENSIS. 
  

  

  Porphyria 
  chathamensls, 
  Sliarpe, 
  Cat. 
  B. 
  xxiii. 
  p. 
  202. 
  

   Dr. 
  Sliarpe 
  has 
  kindly 
  supplied 
  me 
  with 
  the 
  following- 
  

   diagnosis 
  of 
  his 
  new 
  species 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  Similis 
  P. 
  bello, 
  sed 
  gutture 
  toto 
  nigro, 
  pileo 
  concolore 
  ; 
  

   prsepectore 
  saturate 
  cyaneo 
  : 
  tibiis 
  nigris, 
  abdomine 
  

   imo 
  concoloribus." 
  

   "The 
  tints 
  are 
  difficult 
  to 
  describe^ 
  but 
  the 
  differences 
  are 
  

   well 
  seen 
  on 
  comparison 
  with 
  P. 
  bellus." 
  

  

  30. 
  Ortygometra 
  tabuensis. 
  

  

  Ortygometra 
  tabuensis, 
  Buller, 
  op. 
  cit. 
  ii. 
  p. 
  101. 
  

  

  These 
  little 
  Rails 
  frequent 
  the 
  grassy 
  swamps 
  and 
  the 
  dense 
  

   rush-like 
  terahina-serub. 
  As 
  they 
  almost 
  never 
  take 
  to 
  

   flighty 
  they 
  are 
  vei'y 
  rarely 
  seen. 
  We 
  hunted 
  with 
  a 
  dog 
  

   w^ell 
  trained 
  to 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  in 
  the 
  grass 
  by 
  

   running 
  them 
  down 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  only 
  after 
  a 
  many-hours' 
  

   hunt 
  that 
  we 
  succeeded 
  in 
  securing 
  a 
  specimen. 
  It 
  was 
  

   evident 
  from 
  the 
  behaviour 
  of 
  the 
  dog 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  fair 
  

   number 
  of 
  birds^ 
  but 
  they 
  can 
  move 
  between 
  the 
  stems 
  so 
  

   fast 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  make 
  good 
  their 
  escape 
  in 
  nearly 
  

   every 
  ease 
  of 
  pursuit. 
  

  

  In 
  New 
  Zealand 
  I 
  have 
  had 
  these 
  birds 
  brought 
  in 
  dead 
  but 
  

   unharmed 
  by 
  our 
  domestic 
  cat. 
  Besides 
  the 
  case 
  recorded 
  by 
  

   Sir 
  W. 
  Buller, 
  I 
  have 
  known 
  this 
  to 
  occur 
  not 
  unfrequently 
  in 
  

   different 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  My 
  own 
  cat 
  used 
  to 
  devour 
  

   in 
  secret 
  birds^ 
  rabbits^ 
  and 
  hares, 
  which 
  she 
  was 
  very 
  expert 
  

   in 
  catching, 
  while 
  she 
  would 
  bring 
  iu 
  and 
  lay 
  down 
  unharmed 
  

   on 
  the 
  floor 
  these 
  little 
  Rails. 
  

  

  31. 
  Ortygometra 
  affinis. 
  

  

  Ortygometra 
  affinis, 
  Buller, 
  op. 
  cit. 
  ii. 
  p. 
  103. 
  

  

  32. 
  Cabalus 
  dieffenbachi. 
  

  

  Cabalus 
  dieffenbachii, 
  Buller, 
  op. 
  cit. 
  ii. 
  p. 
  121. 
  

  

  No 
  other 
  than 
  the 
  type-specimen 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  which 
  is 
  

   in 
  the 
  British 
  Museum, 
  has 
  ever 
  been 
  met 
  with. 
  "■ 
  A 
  new 
  

   kind 
  of 
  Rail,'^ 
  says 
  Dr. 
  Dieffenbach 
  in 
  his 
  paper 
  read 
  before 
  

   the 
  Royal 
  Geographical 
  Society, 
  " 
  was 
  formerly 
  very 
  com- 
  

   mon, 
  but 
  since 
  cats 
  and 
  dogs 
  have 
  been 
  introduced 
  it 
  has 
  

  

  2p2 
  

  

  