CHAKADRIUS. 



119 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



So far as I have been able to ascertain all the following characters are found in both 

 sexes, in young as well as adults, and at all seasons. Where the dark bands across the 

 breast are black in adult birds they are brown in young in first plumage. The chestnut- 

 red scapulars of the adult of C. nigrifrons are represented in the young by chestnut-red on 



some of the wing-coverts. 



nigrifrons 



j Scapulars 



chestnut-red 



or wing - coverts 



minor. 



placidus. 



bifrontatus 



Outer tail-feather \ shorter , tricollaris 



than longest. 



Outer tail-feather crossed f 

 by three bars on the 

 inner web. 



Outer and middle toe 

 webbed to second joint 



Mantle pale grey . . . 



forbesi 



vociferns • • 

 hiaticula • • 

 semipalmatus 

 f melodus • • 

 monachus • • 

 novse-zelandises 



A broad brown band between 

 the white forehead and the 

 base of the bill. 



Two dark bands across the 

 breast. 



> 



White at base of outer web of 

 innermost primaries. 



Central upper tail-coverts 

 nearly black. 



There can be no doubt that all these birds are very nearly related to each other. Of 

 the twelve species only two have been made the types of new genera, C. vociferus and 

 C. nov<e-zeland'ue. The former is probably more nearly related to C. hiaticula than it is to 

 its admitted congener C. tricollaris; and the latter is probably more nearly allied to 

 C. monachus than to any other bird. 



