GALLINULA ELEGANS. — Smith. 
Aves. — Plate XXII. (Male.) 
G. capite, collo, pectoreque rufis ; dorso, humerorum tectricibus, corporis lateribus, caudee tectricibusque 
inferioribiis nigro-brunneis, maculis ocbreis ovatis variegatis; abdomine nigro-brunneo maculis 
albis notatis; cauda brunneo-nigro fasciolis rufis variis ; remigibus brunneo-rubris, ad margines 
pogoniarnra maculis ochreis, plus minus notatis; rostro pedibusque rubro-brunneis. 
Longitudo 6 unc. 
Colour. — The head, the neck, and the middle of the breast bright rufous, 
lightest on the throat ; interscapulars, back, lesser wing coverts, sides of 
breast, flanks, vent, and under tail coverts liver brown, and variegated with a 
profusion of rather large and somewhat oval, reddish ochre-coloured spots — 
each interscapular feather generally with six or seven of these spots com- 
monly disposed as represented on the Plate, letter a ; middle of belly 
blackish brown, with spots similar in form and size to those on the back, &c. 
only pure white, except such of them as lie directly upon the dark ground 
colour, — these have a faint bluish tint. Primary and secondary quill coverts 
and tertiary quill feathers liver brown, with oval or irregular reddish ochre spots, 
and more or less broken and similarly coloured bars ; quill feathers brownish 
led, the edge of each vane ornamented with a series of small irregular ochre- 
yellow spots ; on the inner vanes of several of the feathers the spots are 
almost invisible ;* inner surface of shoulders blackish brown with white 
bars ;f inner surface of quill feathers pale brocoli-brown. Tail liver-brown, 
each feather with four or five bright rufous bars, the shape and appearance of 
which will be seen by reference to the Plate, letter b. Bill reddish brown, 
the lower mandible with a yellowish white line along the under edge of each 
ramus ; legs and toes also reddish brown. 
p 0RM . — Figure rather plump ; bill considerably shorter than the head, and 
* As far as my experience goes, little importance is to be attached either to the presence or absence of 
spots upon the quill feathers in birds of this genus. The law of nature, as it affects this group, seems to 
be in favour of irregularity in that respect, since we frequently find in the same individual some of the 
quill feathers spotted, and others without spots ; nay, specimens occasionally present themselves without 
spots on any of the quills, while others, evidently of the same species, have a proportion of spots on each 
of the feathers. 
t In some specimens of this species which I have examined, small white spots existed in the place of 
bars. 
