GALLTNULA ELEGANS- Smith. 



AvES. — Plate XXII. (Male.) 



G. capite, collo, pectoreque rufis ; dorso, humerorum tcctricibus, corporis lateribu?, caudce tectricibusque 

 inferioribus nigro-brunneis, iiiaculis ocbreis ovatis varieoatis ; abdomine nigro-brunneo maculis 

 albis notatis ; cauda brunnoo-nisro fasciolis rufis variis ; reniigibus brunneo-rubris, ad margined 

 pogoniarum inaculis ocbreis, plus minus notatis; rostro pcdibusquc rubro-brunneis. 



LoxGiTUDo 6 unc. 



Colour. — The head, the neck, and the middle of the breast bright rufous, 

 lightest on the throat ; interscapulars, back, lesser wing coverts, sides of 

 breast, flanks, vent, and under tail coverts liver brown, and variegated with a 

 profusion of rather large and somewhat oval, reddish ochre-coloured spots — 

 each interscapular feather generally with six or seven of these spots com- 

 monly disposed as represented on the Plate, letter a ; middle of belly 

 blackish brown, with spots similar in form and size to those on the back, &c. 

 only pure white, except such of them as lie directly upon the dark ground 

 colour, — these have a faint bluish tint. Primary and secondary quill coverts 

 and tertiary quill feathers liver brown, with oval or irregular reddish ochre spots, 

 and more or less broken and similarly coloured bars ; quill feathers brownish 

 red, the edge of each vane ornamented with a series of small irregular ochre- 

 yellow spots ; on the inner vanes of several of the feathers the spots are 

 almost invisible ;* inner surface of shoulders blackish brown w itli white 

 bars ;t inner surface of quill feathers pale brocoli-brown. Tail liver-brown, 

 each feather with four or five bright rufous bars, the shape and ajipearance of 

 which will be seen by reference to the Plate, letter b. Bill reddish brown, 

 the lower mandible with a yellowish white line along the under edge of each 

 ramus ; legs and toes also reddish brown. 



Form. — Figure rather plump ; bill considerably shorter than the head, and 



* As far as my experience goes, little importance is to be attached cither to the presence or absence of 

 spots upon the quill feathers in birds of this genus. The law of nature, as it affects this group, seems to 

 be in favour of irregularity in that respect, since we frequently find in the same individual some of the 

 quill feathers spotted, and others without spots ; nay, specimens occasionally present themselves without 

 spots on any of the quills, while others, evidently of the same species, have a proportion of spots on eacli 

 of the feathers. 



t In some specimens of this species which I have examined, small white spots existed in the place of 

 bars. 



