26 MESSRS. HARTLAUB AND FINSCH [Jan. 3, 



rudimentary soft tail-feathers olivaceous black ; primaries and 

 secondaries dark brownish black ; coverts of the remiges and upper 

 quill-coverts dark olive-brown, somewhat darker than the back ; 

 under surface of wing and under quill-coverts dark brownish black. 



Bill reddish orange ; frontal shield more yellow ; legs and feet 

 reddish ; claws hornish brown. 



" Bill light red, with a yellow frontal shield ; legs and feet light 

 red ; irides brown-red. Native name Punte." {Kubary.) 



The single specimen described above, although marked by the 

 collector, Mr. Kubary, as "young female," is apparently a full- 

 grown bird, and exhibits such great differences from the nearest 

 allied genus Gallinula that we cannot avoid separating it as a well 

 marked distinct genus. In its general appearance it. much resembles 

 Gallinula, but may be at once distinguished by the shortness of its 

 wings, the shortness of its toes, and its nearly rudimentary tail. 

 The bill agrees with that of Gallinula ; but the frontal shield is not 

 so far extended (as in G. chloropus), and, what is of some importance, 

 the singular short velvet-like feathers of the lores advance towards the 

 base of the nostrils into an acute angle, whereas in Gallinula they 

 never reach the nostrils. The wings, as mentioned already, are very 

 short, rounded ; their feathers very soft, broad, at the end rounded ; 

 the third to the sixth quills equal and longest ; the second and 

 seventh somewhat shorter ; the first one inch shorter than the 

 fourth ; the longest secondaries nearly reach the primaries ; therefore 

 scarcely any prominent wing-end exists. As regards this singular 

 structure of the wings, Pareudiastes seems to be most nearly allied 

 to Habroptila, but is quite different from Gallinula. The same is 

 the case as regards the tail, which consists of narrow lax feathers, 

 nearly rudimentary. Not less than the wings are the feet different. 

 In Gallinula the middle toe is always longer then the tarsus, whereas 

 in Pareudiastes the middle toe is considerably shorter ; besides, the 

 nails are also shorter and rather more curved than in Gallinula. 



The eyes seem to be uncommonly large ; and this, as well as the 

 other peculiarities, gives some right to suspect that this remarkable 

 form will exhibit also interesting peculiarities in respect to its habits, 

 of which, unfortunately, Mr. Kubary tells us nothing. We are 

 strongly of opinion that Pareudiastes is unable to fly, and hope to 

 get more information about it next time from the discoverer. 



A second specimen of Pareudiastes pacifieus, forwarded in spirits, 

 is apparently younger. It shows the shield dirty yellowish ; the 

 bill reddish brown, the tip darker brown ; feet and legs reddish 

 horn-brown ; claws horn-brown. 



The measurements of this specimen are as follows : — 



