1882,] MR. E. p. RAMSAY ON A NEW TEPHRAS. 357 



coloration, a description of the one would apply almost equally well 

 to the other. 



The measurements of a young hird of G. macrodactyla less than 

 a week old, and consequently unable to fly, are : — Bill 1-5, wing 2-5, 

 bare portion of tibia '5, tarsus 1*7 inch. 



Before concluding my remarks on this species it seems desirable 

 to say a few words on the synonymy, since the bird has hitherto 

 been usually known as Gallinago bernieri of Pucheran, who named 

 it after the first collector who brought specimens of the bird to 

 Europe. Pucheran's description was published in the 'Revue de 

 Zoologie,' 1845 ; but some years prior to this, namely between 1832 

 and 1841, Bonaparte's ' Iconografia della Fauna ItaHca ' appeared 

 in parts (unpaged). In one of these parts, in the course of a notice 

 of Gallinago brehmi (a variety of the common European Snipe), of 

 which the part in question contains a coloured figure, a review of 

 the various species of Gallingo known to the author is given, in the 

 course of which two new species are described: — one from Madagascar, 

 named by Bonaparte macrodactyla ; the other from the Cape, named 

 by him nigripennis, and subsequently by Riippell (1845) cequatorialis. 

 His description of macrodactyla, which applies to the present species, 

 was founded upon a specimen in the Paris Museum, which had 

 been brought by Dr. Bernier from Madagascar, and was in all 

 probability the same type from which Pucheran subsequently de- 

 scribed and named his Gallinago bernieri. It is evident, therefore, 

 that Bonaparte's name for this species, Gallinago macrodactyla, has 

 precedence. 



I have seen no specimen of this bird from any part of Africa ; and, 

 so far as at present known, it appears to be confined entirely to 

 Madagascar. 



4. Description of a new Species of Bird of the Genus Tephras. 

 By E. P. Ramsay, F.L.S., C.M.Z.S. 



[Eeceived March 14, 1882.] 



The species which I propose to describe is based on a specimen 

 from a collection made along the south coast of New Guinea and at 

 the Aru Islands by the late S. White, Esq., of South Australia. I 

 propose to call it 



Tephras WHiTEi, sp. nov. 



All the upper surface dull brown washed with olive-yellow, tinged 

 with brown on the head ; brighter on the rump and upper tail- 

 coverts, and on the outer margins of the webs of the wing- and tail- 

 feathers ; the wings and tail brown above and below ; axillaries and 

 under wing-coverts whitish, inner margin of the webs of the quills 

 towards the base whitish ; shafts of the wing and tail-feathers below 

 white, above brown ; all the under surface of the body, chin, margins 

 of shoulders below, and the under tail-coverts citron-yellow, deeper 



