280 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on Birds 



approach. The first specimen I secured was followed for 

 a mile and a half over the extensive sand-flats, and it was not 

 until it ran among the masses of dead and fallen trees that 

 I was ahle to get anywhere near it. The other bird, after 

 being followed for a considerable time, squatted behind a 

 piece of driftwood near the edge of the sea, and by approach- 

 ing it in decreasing circles I was at last able to get within 

 shoty—C, H.B.G. 



Family PAERIDiE. 



Hydralector ^allinaceus. 



Hydralector gallinaceus (Temm.) ; Sliarpe, Cat. xxiv. p. 79 

 (1896); van Oort, p. 60 (1909); Mathews, Birds Austr. iii, 

 p. 316 (1913). 



a. ^ imni- Launch Camp, Setakwa River, 13th Octi 

 1912. IC.B.K.-] 



Iris brownish-white ; bill, basal half pale yellow, terminal 

 half black: frontal lappet pale waxy^yellow; f eet plurabeouS'* 

 black. 



This immature bird, which still retains some chestnut 

 feathers on the crown and a few pale sandy-^buff and black 

 feathers on the breast, seems to be referable to typical 

 JI' gallinaceus from Celebes, and not to H. g. novce-guinece 

 Jlamsay, from South-east New Guinea. Dr. Lorentz pro- 

 cured three adult specimens at Merauke which have been 

 referred to the Celebean form by Dr. van Oort. 



In the immature bird from the tSetakwa River the black 

 of the upperparts is confined to the crown, nape and mantle, 

 and the back and wings are brpnze-browii. 



Tiie form inliabiting South-east New Guinea, II. g. novce-; 

 guinece, is a very dark b^rd and has the upperparts almost 

 entirely black in the fully adult, only the inner parts of the 

 wings and scapulars being very dark greenish-bronze. In 

 Eastern Australia H. g. nova'-hoUandiw Salvad. occurs, and 

 is said to be paler than the Celebean bird. This is perhaps 

 k recognisable form, but it is difficult to see how H. g. rotJi- 

 schildi (Mathews) from North-west Australia, which " differs 



