726 Birds of Celebes: Parridae. 



J. f. 0. 1883, 139; (6J id., ib. 1884, 216. 219, 221; (7) Kutter, t. c. 226; (8) 

 Guillem., P. Z. S. 1885, 560; (9) Meyer, Z. ges. Om. 1886, 38; flO) W. Bias., 

 t. c. 152; (11) Guillem., Cruise "Marchesa" 18S6, 11, 208; (12) Everett, J. Str. Br. 

 R A. S. 1889, 204; (13) Salvad., Agg. Orn. Pap. 1891, 201; (14) Newton, Diet. B. 

 1893, 464; (15) Sharpe, Oat. B. 1896, XXIV, 79, 728. 



b. Hydralector cristatus (1) Bp. (nee Vieill.), Compt. Rend. 185G, XLm, 598, Nr. 295. 



c. Parra cristata (1) Sclil. (nee V.), Mus. P.-B., Balli, 1865, 68; (II) id., Dierent. 1872 fig. 



p. 265; (3) Heine & Rchw., Nomencl. Mus. Hein. 1890, 316. 



d. Parra novae guineae (1) Ramsay, Pr. L. Soc. K S. W. 1878, 11, 298. 



e. ?Hydralector novae hollandiae (1) Salvad., Orn. Pap. 1882, III, 309. 

 '•Pihndo" (Rosenb. a 3] or "Pientu" (Joest a 6], Gorontalo Distr. 



For synonymy and further references of. Salvad. 4; Sharpe 15. 



Figures and description. Teniminck a I; Sclilegel c 1, c II; Salvadori 4; — the supposed 

 Australian race, H. novae hollandiae Salvad., is ligm'ed by Gould, B. Australia VI, 

 pi. 75, as Parra gallinacea; Sharpe 15. 



Adult. Forehead, sides of face and of neck, and jugulum hght silky orange-buff, pass- 

 ing into white on chin and thi-oat; a black stripe from the corner of the eye to 

 the base of lower mandible; head above, hind neck, mantle, sides, under 

 wing-coverts and entire breast black with a steel-blue gloss on head, neck and 

 mantle; upper parts deep glossy broccoli-brown passing into bluish black on rump, 

 tail, lesser wing- and primary-coverts and remiges (excejDt the inner ones); abdomen 

 white, with a strong tinge of orange-buff on the flanks and under tail-coverts; carpal 

 edge furnished with a spur (bony knob); culmen with a thin vertical comb, based 

 behind opon a longer horizontal flap "reddish yellow; iris yellowish brown ; bill black 

 at tip, dirty yellowish at base; feet and tarsus olive-slate" — Guillem. 8; claws 

 slightly recurved, the hind one exceedingly long; wing 123 mm; tail 38; tarsus 57; 

 middle toe 54, claw thereof 22; hind toe 17, claw thereof 69; bill fi-om gape 26 

 ('•$" [?cf] Lake Limbotto, July, 1871: Meyer — 1994). 



Female. Much larger than the male. The wing-length seems to vary in males from 118 to 

 132 nun, in females from 135 to 144 mm; and in cases where the wing-length hes between 

 130 — 140 mm, the length of the tarsus affords a sure test; namely, the tarsus in 

 females appears to be 6 cm or more, in the male at least some millimeters and usually 

 a whole centimeter less than 6 cm (W. Blasius 10). 



Young. The young of the Australian bird is described by Gould as differing by having 

 the whole under surface white, crown of the head and occiput reddish chestnut, the 

 line down the back of the neck brown, and the back reddish brown, each feather 

 margined with a still redder hue; only an indication of the helmet; iris light brown 

 and the bill aurora-red with the exception of the base of the lower mandible, which 

 is liglit yellowish white (Handb. B. Austr. IE, 333). 



Eggs. 4 in number (7). "The eggs certainly belong to the most interesting ones there are. 

 They resemble in general the other Pa7Ta-eggs, have a clay-yellow ground with 

 numerous deep black worm-hnes and flourishes (Wurmlinien und Schnorkel), are very 

 glossy, and measure 30x22 mm" (Nehrkorn MS.). The egg from Austraha is 

 figured by E. P. Ramsay, Ibis 1867, 417, pi. VIII, fig. 3, and by North, Nests and 

 Eggs B. Austr. 1889, 327, pi. XVI, fig. 8. 



Nest. In Borneo the eggs were found by Grabowsky (6) resting, without any nest, free on 

 the small fleshy leaves of a swimming water-plant. In Australia, " composed of sedges, 

 grass, and aquatic plants, is placed close to the water's edge, or upon any bunches 

 of weeds or grass growing in the water" (Ramsay). 



