VELLOW-BREASTED RAIL. 523 
colour descends from the nucha to the back on the upper part 
of the neck in a broad stripe, the feathers of which are 
widely skirted with cinnamon-ferruginous, and crossed by 
two narrow white bands, one of which is terminal; those 
nearer to the neck, and the feathers of the rump, having only 
the terminal band ; sides of the neck and whole under surface 
yellowish ferruginous, each feather being tipped with darker 
ferruginous, which gives a waved appearance to those parts, 
the waves being more intense on the lateral parts: throat and 
belly whitish, but passing insensibly into the general colour ; 
flanks and thighs darker, with the two white transverse lines, 
as on the back. Wings when closed reaching to the tip of the 
tail; upper wing-coverts dark slate broadly margined with olive- 
ferruginous, and each with two white narrow spots represent- 
ing the usual lines; margin and spots becoming by degrees 
inconspicuous towards the outer coverts ; inferior wing-coverts 
and axillary feathers white; quill-feathers plain greyish, con- 
siderably lighter beneath, and with the shafts above darker ; 
last of the primaries and first of the secondaries with two or 
three white dots very irregularly disposed, five or six nearest 
to the body white on a great part at tip, the last becoming, 
however, more generally greyish, and only mottled with 
white ; tertials, or rather scapulars, blackish, very widely bor- 
dered each side with different shades of yellowish ferrugi- 
nous, of which the palest is outside, and crossed by the two 
narrow white lines, having besides a rudiment of a third, 
equidistant; these scapulars form a whole with the wing- 
coverts and the feathers of the back, being of the same colour, 
only somewhat more brilliant. ‘Tail very short, feathers 
blackish, each side ferruginous, with the two white lines, but 
interrupted, and neither at the tip ; the tail is altogether con- 
cealed in its upper and lower coverts; the upper are of the 
same colour, but have only a terminal white band, whilst the 
inferior are black at base, and with a broad and vividly 
ferruginous tip. 
This is the most brilliant specimen I have seen, and I must 
