80 Mr. W. R. O. Grant on Rallus pusillus 



antero-lateral laminar processes which are usually confined to 

 the female. 



On each side of the rostrum and attached to the hairs which 

 adorn this portion of the cephalothorax there is a single 

 branching- piece of the Alga, Galaxaura frag His, in a cluster 

 of which this crab was taken. 



XI. — On the Species Rallus pusillus of Pallas and its 

 Allies. By W. R. Ogilvie Grant. 



While recently engaged in arranging the Rails in the 

 National Collection I was struck by the difference in appear- 

 ance between the Pigmy Rails from the Indo-Chinese 

 countries and those from Europe, Africa, and Madagascar, 

 which have always been regarded as belonging to one species 

 and known as Porzana Bailloni. A more careful examina- 

 tion of our large series at once convinced me that this is a 

 mistake, and that the Indo-Chinese bird, of which Mr. Hume's 

 collection contains a very fine series, is in reality very distinct 

 from the true P. Bailloni, which is the Western form, both 

 in plumage and geographical distribution. There can be no 

 doubt whatever that the Eastern bird is the one described by 

 Pallas in his ' Reise Russ. Reichs,' iii. Anhang, p. 700, under 

 the name of Rallus pusillus, a name which was doubtfully 

 referred by Mr. Dresser to the synonymy of P. Bailloni and 

 added to the synonyms of that species by Mr. Seebohm in 

 his ' British Birds/ although he preferred to retain the name 

 Bailloni used by the majority of authors. Pallas obtained 

 his specimens in Dauria, and gives an excellent description, 

 which I shall quote, as it clearly gives the characters which 

 distinguish pusillus from Bailloni. The Eastern species must 

 stand in future as : — ■ 



Porzana pusilla (Pall.). 



"Colore et forma perquam similis Rallo aquatieo; sed magnltudo 

 Alaudce vulgaris. Fades, collum subtus et pectus medium longi- 

 tudinaliter caerulescenti-cana, media gula candicat. Litura per 

 oculos longitudinalis obsolete femiginea. Vertex, cervix, dorsum 

 ferrugineo nigroque liturata ; dorsum lineolis lougitudinalibus 

 vagis albis. Abdomen crissumque nigra, tamiolis albis trans- 

 versis. Cauda inter alas compressa, arrigua. Pedes virescentes." 



As compared with Porzana Bailloni it may be briefly cha- 



