BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA 133 



Schamosorex Bakeb, Fauna Brit. India, ed. 2, Birds, vli, 1930, 476 (lapsus). 



Phalaridion Kaup, Nattirl. Syst., 1829, 173, 195. (Type, by monotypy, OalUnula 

 pusilla^Rallus pusillus Pallas.) 



Phalaridium Heine and Reichenow, Nom. Mus. Hein. Orn., 1890, 819 

 (emendation). 



Mustelirallus Bonaparte, Compt. Rend., Paris, xllii, 1856, 599. (Type, by mono- 

 typy. Rallus anicolUs Vieillot.) 



OaleoUmnas Heine, in Heine and Reichenow, Nom. Mus. Hein. Orn., 1890, 320 

 (new name for MustelUrallus on grounds of purism). 



lAmnobaenus Sundevall, Metb. Nat. Av. Disp. Tent., 1872, 130. (Type, by subse- 

 quent designation, L. fuscus=Rallus fuscus Linnaeus.) 



Zapomia Leach, Syst. Cat. Spec. Mammals and Birds, etc, 1816, 34. (Type, by 

 original designation, Z. minuta^=Rallua parvus Scopoli.) 



Zapomia Stephens, in cont. of Shaw's Gen. Zool., xii, pt. 1, 1824, 230. (Type, by 

 original designation, Rallus pusillus Gmelin.) 



Zaporina Foesteb, Synop. Cat. Brit. Birds, 1817, 27, 59 (emendation or lapsus). 



Rallites Pucheban, Rev. Zool., 1845, 277. (Type, by subsequent designation, 

 Porzana parva=Rallus parvus Scopoli.) 



Hapaloorex Ridgwat, Smiths. Misc. CoU., \s3iu.. No. 4, 1920, 3. (Type, by origi- 

 nal designation, Rallus flaviventer Boddaert.) 



[This description is based on the typical subgenus Porzana only.] 



Rather small Rallinae (wing about 110-112 mm.), with bill shorter 

 than head, inner toe (without claw) longer than culmen, longest 

 primaries exceeding distal secondaries by at least one-third the length 

 of wing, outermost primary longer than sixth (from outside) , alula 

 falling far short of tips of longest primary coverts, and tail half as 

 long as wing, with rectrices distinct, much longer than upper coverts. 

 Bill shorter than head, compressed, its width at base equal to more 

 than half its depth at same point, the latter equal to more than half 

 the length of culmen; culmen elevated basally, faintly depressed 

 above anterior end of nostril, thence gently decurved to tip; gonys 

 two-thirds or more as long as mandibular rami, ascending terminally, 

 its basal angle distinct but not prominent; mandibular rami with a 

 broad but shallow lateral groove; nasal fossa rather large, extending 

 for basal half or more of maxilla, well defined ; nostril narrowly ellip- 

 tical, parallel with maxillary tomium, its anterior end much nearer 

 to nearest loral feathering than to tip of maxiUa; anterior outline of 

 feathering forming a straight or very slightly convex vertical line 

 from sides of forehead to rictus, the anterior outline of frontal feath- 

 ering broken medially by a very short obtusely angled notch formed 

 by base of culmen ; malar antia decidedly anterior to laterofrontal 

 antia, the mental antia slightly to decidedly anterior to posterior end 

 of nostril. Wing moderate in size, moderately concave beneath, 

 rather pointed, the second or second and third primaries (from out- 

 side) longest, the outermost about equal to sixth; longest primaries 



