690 
Birds of Celebes: Eallidae. 
The Bald-faced Rail is one of the peculiar types of Celebes. Its nearest 
known affinities are with G. plumbeiventris Gray of the Papuan Islands and 
Halmahera group, a species which is included in the same genus Gymnocrex 
by Count Salvadori and others. The two birds differ widely, how'ever; 
G. rosenbergi has a longer tarsus and shorter toes, the middle toe and claw being 
less than % of the length of the tarsus, as against V5 in the other form; 
the bill of G. rosenbergi is but little more than half the length of the tarsus 
und presents a curiously dw'arfed, wasted appearance toAvards the end, w^hile 
the bill of plumbeiventris is over of the length of the tarsus; the latter 
species has also a comparatively smaR extent of bare skin on the face, chiefly 
behind the eye. In plumage the chestnut head, breast and mantle, the greenish 
olive back, and the black rump and tail of G. plumbeiventris give it a very dif- 
ferent appearance from G. rosenbergi. 
The habits of G. rosenbergi may be expected to afford many interesting 
peculiarities; unfortunately nothing is known about them at present. The long 
tarsus and short toes call to mind certain plovers and herons; the thin, w’orn- 
down end of the bill Avith the cutting edges rolled inwards suggests that the 
bird pecks about for its food to a depth of half an inch or more in sand or 
graA^el or such like; its long wings show it to haA^e good poAvers of raising itself 
in the air, though their rounded and someAA'hat hollo w' shape below" seems to 
betoken short flights. It is a rare bird in North Celebes — or, at least, is 
hard to obtain; some half dozen specimens only have been recorded in European 
collections. 
GENUS ARAMIDOPSIS Sliarpe. 
As is pointed out below this peculiar Celebesian Rail is allied to Aramides 
of South America, but differs by having the rectrices no longer than the over- 
lying feathers of the rump and flanks, the primaries hardly longer than the 
secondaries, forming a short, square wing, and the bill less stout at the base. 
Its differences from Rallus are shown in the text. From the other Rails occur- 
ring in Celebes it may be distinguished by its long straight bill, which, measured 
from the nasofrontal suture, is about as long as the tarsus; the middle toe is 
slightly shorter than the tarsus. 
* 295. ARAMIDOPSIS PLATENI (W.Blas.). 
Long-billed Rail. 
Plate XLII. 
a. Rallus platen! (1) W. Bias, in Russ’ Isis 1886, 103; (2) id., “Braunsclw. Anzeigen” 
3. Marz, 1886; (3) Schalovr, J. f. 0. 1886, 399; (4) Heine & RcIiav., Nomencl. 
Mus. Hein. 1890, 321. 
