688 Birds of Celebes: Rallidae. 



Distribution. N. & B. Australia and the Interior; also S. coast of New Guinea; S. E. Celebes 

 (Beccari 2); W. Celebes (Hartert 3). 



Two examples of this species were obtained by Beccari near Kandari in 

 the S. E. Peninsula in June, 1874, and were named after their discoverer by 

 Count Salvadori. Mr. Ogilvie-Grant, who examined them, pronounces that 

 they are "exactly identical in plumage with specimens of the Australian T. macidosa 

 of a similar age, and differ only from them in being a smaller insular race": 

 wing 5.0 to 7.6 mm shorter. A pair of examples were obtained by Mr. Doherty 

 at Tawaya in West Celebes, and the female was also found by Mr. Hartert 

 to be smaller than four Australian females, the male paler than an Australian 

 male. Mr. Grant also believes that T.rufescens Wall, of Semao will prove to 

 be identical, in which case the distribution of the bird will bear some similarity 

 to that of Circus assimilis. 



T. ritfilatus is easily to be distinguished from this bird by its having the 

 throat and breast barred with black and white, by its lai-ger size, etc. 



ORDER RALLI. 



Systematists are far from being agreed as to the limits of this order. The 

 Balliclae, or Rails proper, have relationships with the Parridae, HeHornithidac, 

 Enrypyga, Rhinochetus, Grnidae, Psophiidae, Aramidae, Otidae. The Parridae 

 seem to connect the Rails with the Charadrii. A large number of Rallidae 

 occur in Celebes, but none of the other related families, except the Parridae, 

 which may be placed in the order Limicolae. 



FAMILY RALLIDAE. 



The Rails and Water-hens. Generally species of concealed habits, not 

 taking readily to flight; running, or, as the case may be, swimming well; 

 inhabiting long grass, reed-growths, swamps, etc.; feeding chiefly upon vegetable 

 matters, also on worms and insects; in most cases more often heard than seen. 



The wing is often of moderately large size, but the birds are of weak 

 flight, rising slowly and heavily; in a few genera peculiar to small islands the 

 wing is so reduced as to be unavailable for flight. The tail is short and often 

 soft, consisting of 1 to 14 rectrices. The tarsus is entirely naked, tranversely 

 scutellated in front; a hallux, smaller than the other toes, and slightly raised 

 above them, is present. The bill is very variable in form — long, slender, and 

 decurved in Ralhis, or Parrot-like in its stoutness in Porphi/rio. 



The Rails are without a crop, have a U-shaped furcula, one notch on each 



