THE GENUS PORPHYKIO AND ITS SPECIES. 7 



A prominent one of these is the bill, which is large, very strong, 

 thick and compressed at the base ; the frontal plate or nead- 

 shield covers the top of the head, and becomes almost a bony- 

 casque. The nostril is placed high up, nearer the culmen than 

 the commissure, at about one-fourth the length of the maxilla 

 from the base, in shape almost round or very slightly oval, 

 open and not surrounded by a membrane. 



With the birds I have here considered as constituting the 

 genus Porphyrio, some authors have placed the Fulica martinica, 

 Lin, Fulica parva, Bodd., and Porphyria alleni, Thompson, while 

 others have referred these to Gallinula. 



It does not, however, seem to me that the species just named 

 properly belong to either of these genera, but more naturally 

 constitute a genus by themselves, as their characters are 

 intermediate between Porphyrio and Gallinula. They differ 

 from the first-named by having bills of moderate size,' curving 

 but slightly at the tip, and expanding at the base into a 

 thin flat rather small plate which covers the forehead chiefly, 

 and is very different in character from the head-shield of 

 the birds given in this memoir. The nostril is longitudinal, 

 situated in the middle of the maxilla and surrounded by a 

 membraue, markedly different from that observed in Porphyrio. 

 The species also are much smaller in size. 



For these birds the term Porphyrula (altered by Sunde- 

 val* to Porphyriola) , proposed by Blythf for his% Porphyrio 

 chloronotus, (nee Vieill.) may be employed. It does not seem 

 to be exactly ascertained what this species is, and the 

 locality whence it came is unknown ; but Blyth says it is 

 " similar to P. alleni, but very much smaller, measuring, wing, 

 5*25 ; bill to gape, 1*37 ; tarsus, 2 inch; while the type of alleni 

 measures, wing, 6*5 ; bill to gape, 1*25 ; tarsus, 2 inch — a differ- 

 ence apparently confined entirely to the wing, and certainly not 

 sufficient to constitute a distinct species ; and as Blyth seemed 

 to know alleni at that time only from the plate in Gray's genera 

 of birds, it is not impossible but that he had a specimen of it 

 before him. Bonaparte makes martinica the type of Blyth's 

 genus, and an examination of the type, if still existing in the 

 ' Calcutta Museum, will be necessary to decide if he is correct. 

 But it is really of very little moment whether alleni or mar- 

 tinica is proved to be the type, as from a comparison made 

 with numerous specimens of botli species, I consider that they 

 belong to a genus different from Porphyrio, and one well 

 indicated by Porphyrula. If, however, this last term should 



* Meth. Nat. At. Dispon. Tentam. (1872) p, 131, 



f Cat, B. Mus. Asiat. Soc, p. 283. 



% Journ Asiat Soc. Beng, (1849), p. 820. 



