THE CLAPPER RAIL. y[\ 



late above, compressed, granulate beneath. Claws of moderate lengthy 

 arched, slender, much compressed, acute, flat and marginate beneath. 



Plumage rather stiff, compact and glossed on the upper parts. Feathers 

 of the head and neck short and blended, of the forehead with the shaft 

 enlarged and extended beyond the tip. Wings very short and broad; alula 

 large; primaries curved, broad, tapering, but obtuse, third longest, second 

 scarcely shorter, first and seventh about equal; secondaries weak, broad, 

 rounded. Tail extremely short, much rounded, of twelve feeble, rounded 

 feathers; the upper and lower coverts nearly as long as the tail-feathers. 



Lower mandible and edges of upper yellowish-brown; ridge of upper and 

 tips of both deep brown. Iris pale yellow. Feet pale livid grey, tinged 

 with orange about the tibio-tarsal joint; claws dusky. Upper part of the 

 head and hind neck dull brown, the bristle-like shafts of the frontal feathers 

 brownish-black; a pale brownish-orange line from the bill over the eye; 

 loral space and sides of the head dull bluish-grey, the two sides of each 

 feather being of the latter colour. Wing-coverts dull olive, tinged with 

 grey, some of them with slight irregular whitish markings; alula and prima- 

 ries olive-brown; secondaries and tail-feathers like the back. Chin yellow- 

 ish-white, edged on either side with pale yellowish-brown; sides and fore 

 part of the neck bluish-grey, tinged more especially before with dull pale 

 yellowish-brown; the fore part of the breast of the latter colour. Lower 

 wing-coverts, sides, hind part of abdomen, and middle lower tail-coverts 

 undulated with deep greyish-brown and greyish-white, lateral tail-coverts 

 with the outer webs white; tibial feathers similarly barred, but paler, middle 

 of the abdomen greyish-white. 



Length to end of tail 15 inches, to end of claws 20, extent of wings 20f; 

 bill 2f ; tarsus 2, middle toe and claw 2^; wing from flexure 6/2; tail 2|. 

 Weight 11 oz. 



Adult Female. 



The female, which is smaller than the male, is similar in colouring, but 

 has the tints somewhat duller. 



Length to end of tail 14 inches, to end of claws 17f; extent of wings 19i. 

 Weight 7f oz. 



In an adult male of this species preserved in spirits, the anterior part of 

 the roof of the mouth has a prominent median ridge, and two deep grooves. 

 The tongue is very long, remarkably slender, trigonal, canaliculate, tapering 

 to a bristly point, its base emarginate and papillate, its length 1 inch 11 

 twelfths. The width of the mouth is only 4 twelfths. The oesophagus, 

 Fig. 1, a b c, is 8 inches long, narrow in its upper third, where its width is 

 four twelfths, enlarging a little at the lower part. The breadth of the pro- 

 ventriculus is 9 twelfths. The lobes of the liver are very unequal, the right 



