PORPHYRIO ALBUS. 
WHITE GALLINULE. 
Fuuca ALiBA WMte, Journ. Voy. New South Wales, p. 238 (1790), Lord Howe Island. 
White GaUinule Phillips, Voy. Botany B., p. 273 (with Plate), 1789. 
Fulica alba White, Journ. Voy. N.S.W., p. 238 (with Plate), 1790 ; Salvin, Ibis, p. 295, 
PI. X. (1873). 
GaUinule alba Latham, Ind. Orn., II., p. 768 (1790). 
Porphyrio albus Temminck, Man. d’Orn., II., p. 701 (1820). 
Notoryds ? alba Pelzeln, Sitz. Kaiserl. Akad. Wissen. Wien, XLI., p. 328 (1860). 
Notornis albus Mathews, Handl. B. Austral., p. 14 (1908). 
Probably as much has been written about the “ White GaUinule ” as any bird, 
and the conclusion that it belonged to the genus Notornis (first proposed 
by Pelzeln, Sitz. Kaiserl. Akad. Wissen. Wien, XLI., p. 328 (I860)), has been 
endorsed by most writers. 
Formerly supposed to have lived on Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands, 
only two specimens are known to exist in collections. Both have been 
figured, and my examination of the figures led me to doubt the attachment 
of the birds to Notornis. 
By the courtesy of Dr. Clubb of the Liverpool Museum, I have been able 
to examine the specimen in that Institute (the type of Porphyrio Stanley i 
Rowley). This bird has been fully discussed by Rowley* and Forbes.t 
The former author concluded from his investigations that the specimen 
belonged to the genus Porphyrio and named it P. stanleyi, with a proviso that it 
might after all be only an albino P. melanotus. A splendid figure of the bird 
was given, and it certainly seemed to favour Rowley’s opinion. However, 
Forbes, from a closer examination of the bird, declared that he disagreed with 
Rowley, and favoured the idea that it should be classed in Notornis. But the 
data Forbes produced to a large extent discounted that result ; hence my 
desire to reconsider the matter. 
Firstly, Forbes went into the history of the specimen, and wrote : “ It 
must, however, have reached this country in June, 1771, the date of the return 
* In the Ornith. Miscell., I., p. 37 (1875). 
t Bull. Liverpool Mus., III., p. 62 (1901). 
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