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Birds of Celebes: Eallidae. 
Distribution. N. & E. Australia and the Interior; also S. coast of Hew Guinea; S. E. Celebes 
(Beccari 2); W. Celebes (Hartert 5). 
Two examples of this species were obtained by Beccari near Kandari in 
the S. E. Peninsula in June, 1874, and were named after their discoverer by 
Count Salvadori. Mr. Ogilvie-Grant, who examined them, pronounces that 
they are “exactly identical in plumage with specimens of the Australian T. maculosa 
of a similar age, and differ only from them in being a smaller insular race”: 
wing 5.0 to 7.6 mm shorter. A pair of examples were obtained by Mr. Doherty 
at lawaya in West Celebes, and the female was also found by Mr. Hartert 
to be smaller than four Australian females, the male paler than an Australian 
male. Mr. Grant also believes that T . rufescens W^all. of Semao will prove to 
be identical, in which case the distribution of the bird will bear some similarity 
to that of Circus assimilis. 
T. rwfilatus is easily to be distinguished from this bird by its having the 
throat and breast baiued with black and white, by its larger size, etc. 
ORDER RALLI. 
Systematists are far from being agreed as to the limits of this order. The 
Rallidae, or Rails proper, have relationships with the Parridae, Heliornithidae, 
Eurypyga, Rhinochetus, Gruidae, Psophiidae, Aramidae, Otidae. The Parridae 
seem to connect the Rails with the Charadrii. A large number of Rallidae 
occur in Celebes, but none of the other related families, except the Parridae^ 
which may be placed in the order Limicolae. 
FAMILY RALLIDAE. 
The Rails and W^ater-hens. Generally species of concealed habits, not 
taking readily to flight; running, or, as the case may be, swimming well; 
inhabiting long grass, reed-growths, swamps, etc. ; feeding chiefly upon vegetable 
matters, also on worms and insects; in most cases more often heard than seen. 
The wing is often of moderately large size, but the birds are of weak 
flight, rising slowly and heavily; in a few genera peculiar to small islands the 
wing is so reduced as to be unavailable for flight. The tail is short and often 
soft, consisting of 10 to 14 rectrices. The tarsus is entirely naked, tranversely 
scutellated in front; a hallux, smaller than the other toes, and slightly raised 
above them, is present. The bill is very variable in form — long, slender, and 
decurved in Rallus, or Parrot-like in its stoutness in Porphyria. 
The Rails are without a crop, have a U-shaped furcula, one notch on each 
