104 
Ortygometra pygmcea (another Australian species) differs from our bird only in having the chin, lower 
part of breast, and abdomen almost pure white. 
Note. On comparing a specimen from Oamaru in the South with one from North Waikato, the former differed 
only in having the cheeks and the abdomen lighter. 
This handsome little Eail is found in both Islands ; but it is everywhere extremely rare and difficult 
to obtain. It frequents the sedgy banks of creeks and rivers and the reed-covered lagoons near the 
sea-coast. It swims with great facility, and, like other members of the genus, often eludes pursuit by 
diving. Its food appears to consist principally of aquatic insects and small freshwater mollusks, in the 
pursuit of which its compressed form enables it to pass deftly among the close-growing vegetation of 
the swamps. It is also light on its feet; and I have observed it on the Hotuiti lagoon run nimbly 
along a floating raupo-flag without even dipping its feathers. Except that it nests early in the season 
(probably about August or beginning of September), very little is at present known of its breeding- 
habits ; but it may be safely inferred that they are in no respect different from those of the closely- 
allied species inhabiting Australia. 
This is, however, one of those recluse species that may exist for years in an inhabited district 
without ever being detected ; such birds, for example, as the Tristan d’Acunha Eail {Gallimda nesiotis), 
of which Sir George Grey gave me the following interesting account. He had incidentally heard of 
the existence of a flightless Swamp-hen in that island, and, at his instance, both Mr. Percy Earl and 
Mr. Edgar Layard had made a thorough search for it, without being able to find it or even to hear 
anything about it from the residents, who declared that the bird they described was a myth. In 
course of time a deputation from the inhabitants came to Cape Colony to seek relief from the 
Governor on account of a general failure in the crops, and a young girl (a native of the island), who 
had accompanied the party, remained behind as a servant at Government House. After several 
years’ service she was seized with a yearning to revisit the island of her birth, and begged for per- 
mission to go. Sir George told her she might go, but that he would never take her back again 
unless she brought with her some of the flightless Eails, with which she had professed to be quite 
familiar. A year afterwards the girl presented herself at Government House, bringing with her a 
cage containing five of these birds. They were put at once into the aviary, and during the night 
two of them had their heads torn off by jackals in an adjoining compartment. The three survivor's 
were forwarded to Dr. Sclater, who then characterized and named this hitherto unknown species 
Unlike the Banded Eail, which is on the increase, this bird is becoming almost extinct. At 
one time it was comparatively plentiful in the Hawke’s Bay district and further south. The only 
one I have heard of for some years past was captured alive at Waipawa. The frightened little crea- 
ture had taken refuge in a bunch of tussock, where it attempted to conceal itself, but was caught by 
the hand without any difficulty. 
It has always been very rare in the far north. The description of the young bird is from a 
specimen caught by my son’s dog when Pheasant-shooting in the Upper Waikato in November 1882. 
On dissection it proved to be a male. The stomach contained seeds and black comminuted matter, 
among which I detected insect-remains and an aquatic grub an inch long. There is a single specimen 
in the Auckland Museum which was obtained at Whangarei. 
A broken specimen of the egg of this species, recently brought by Mr. Henry Travers from the 
Chatham Islands, is described by Hutton as -77 inch in breadth, of an olive-brown colour, and highly 
polished. 
* Proc. Zool. Soc. 1861, p. 260, pi. xxx. 
