1891.] MR. p. L. SCLATER ON PORPHYRIO POLIOCEPHALUS. 47 



Plate VI. 



Fig. 1 . View on the side of respiratory orifice of Bhysota (?) brookei, showing 

 the dorsal lobe and left shell-lobe (l.s.l.), from spirit-spacimen, nat. 

 size, p. 28. 



2. Mantle-margin, showing the contracted right shell-lobe and the anterior 



and posterior right dorsal lobes, p. 28. 



3. The right shell-lobe, enlarged 2'5, viewed from above, p. 28. 

 3 a. View of same from below, nat. sze, p. 28. 



4. Extremity of foot, seen from above, X 24, p. 28. 



6. Animal removed from the shell ; spirit-specimen. E, retracted eye- 

 tentacles ; M, mouth ; P.Ap. and Sp.Ap., the generative aperture, 

 with the orifices of the male organ and spermatheca, nat, size, p. 28. 



6. Generative organs, nat. size, h.d., hermaphrodite duct ; Al.Gd., Albu- 



men-gland ; ov., oviduct ; r.m.P., retractor muscle penis, p. 28. 



7. Jaw, X 4, p. 29. 



8. Teeth of radula, centrals, X 340, p. 29. 

 8 a. Outermost laterals, X 340, p. 29. 



9. 9 a. Young shell, natural size, pp. 27, 28. 



January 20, 1891. 

 W. T. Blanford, Esq., F.R.S., F.Z.S., in the Chair. ■ 



Mr. Sclater exhibited specimens of three species of Purple Water- 

 hens {Porphyrio poliocephalus, P. cceruleus, and P. smaragdonotus), 

 and made the following remarks : — 



In 1879 (^bis,' 1879, p. 196) I pointed out that the Porphyrio 

 of Southern Europe {Porphyria hyacinthinus of Temminck, but of 

 which a prior name was cceruleus of Vandelli) had no claim to the 

 title " veterum,^^ which had been applied to it by G. R. Gray (from 

 a misunderstanding of a footnote in S. G. Gmelin's ' Raise durch 

 Russland'), and that Mr. Dresser and Mr. Elliot had both gone 

 astray in following Gray's lead. Furthermore I suggested that the 

 bird met with by Gmelin in the south of the Caspian would probably 

 turn out to be the Indian species P. poliocephalus, which, however, 

 misled by Schlegel, I called on that occasion P. pulverulentus. 



That I was right in my conjecture, and that the Caspian Porphyrio 

 is really the same as the Indian species, is now well known to us 

 from examination of specimens transmitted from that district by 

 Dr. Radde, some of which, by Mr. Dresser's kind permission, are 

 now on the table before us, 



Mr. Seebohm (' Ibis,' 1884, p. 429) was, I belieye, the first to 

 show the identity of the Caspian and Indian birds, which I can fully 

 conj&rm after comparison of the present specimens with Indian skins 

 in the British Museum. 



For comparison with the Caspian bird I place on the table 

 examples of P. cceruleus ivoxa. Sardinia and Sicily and of P. smaragdo- 

 notus from Egypt, kindly lent me for this purpose by Mr. E. C. 

 Taylor. 



The latter species, as is well known, also occurs occasionally as a 

 straggler in Sicily (see Giglioli, 'Avifauna Italica,' p. .356). It is, 

 I believe, the only Porphyrio found in Egypt, and extends into 

 Southern Africa and Madagascar. 



