EULABEOENIS. 331 



perfectly sure there could be no mistake as to their identity. The 

 eggs forwarded by Inspector Johnstone, have a pale cream or 

 whitish ground colour, sprinkled all over, but more thickly at the 

 larger end of some, with irregular shaped spots of light reddish- 

 chestnut, and a few of lilac tinge appearing as if beneath the 

 surface of the shell, having the characteristic form, markings, and 

 colour of all true Rail's eggs. They are four in number, in length 



1 "55 to 1 '65 inch. The nest was composed of a few leaves and grass 

 and hidden among thick debris at the root of a tree in a dense 

 part of the scrub near Mr. Johnstone's camp. The young on 

 leaving the egg are covered with a sooty-black down, having a 

 dark plumbeous tinge on the under surface. The young at about 

 five months old have the upper surface of a dull dark brown 

 tinged with olive and washed with light rufous-brown on the back 

 of the neck ; the under surface is of a duller and more plumbeous 

 brown, with a faint wash of rufous-brown on the chest and under 

 tail-coverts, which latter have two pale rufous bars on each feather; 

 the under surface of the wings blackish dull brown, a band of 

 white spots near the base, and a similar band about the middle 

 of the quill-feathers ; bill olive-brown ; legs greenish-olive ; iris 

 reddish-brown. Total length 7 inches, wing 3 '6, tail 1'5 tarsus 



2 inches, bill 0-9 inch." (Bamsay, P.Z.S., 1875, p. 603.) 



The above set of eggs measures as follows: — length (A) 1 -55 x 1 •! 

 inch; (B) 1-6 x M2 inch; (0)1-62 x M ^noli; (D)l-65 x 1-08 inch. 



Hah. Cape York, Rockingham Bay, South Coast New Guinea. 

 {Bamsay.) 



Genus EULABEOKNIS, Gould. 



EULABEORNIS CASTANEIVENTRIS, GouU. 

 Chestnut-taelliecl Rail. 

 GouU, Handbh. Bds. Amt., Vol. ii., sp. 572, p. 338. 



" This large and tine species of Rail inhabits the low muddy 

 shores and mangrove swamps of the north coast of Aust»lia. The 



