GYMNOCREX PLUMBEI VENTRIS. 
Grey-bellied Rail. 
Ralhs plumbeiventris, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1861, pp. 432, 438. — Finsch, Neu-Guinea, p. 180 (1865). 
Rallina pliimbeiventris, Schlegel, Mus. Pays-Bas, Ralli, pp. 17, 78 (1865). — Id. Ned. Tijdschr. Dierk. iii. p. 349 
(1866). — Gray, Hand-l. B. iii. p. 58, no. 10402 (1871). — Sharpe, Journ. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 505 (1877). 
Ralliis hoeveni, Rosenb. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl. xxix. p. 144 (1867). — Schlegel, Nederl. Tijdschr. Dierk. iii. p. 349 
(1866). — Rosenb. Reis naar Zuidoostereil. p, 53 (1867). 
Ralliis int actus, Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1869, p. 120, pi. x. — Tristram, Ibis, 1882, p. 144. 
Rallina Intacta, Gray, Hand-1. B. iii. p. 58, no. 10404 (1871). 
Gymnocrex plumheiventris, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov, vii. p. 793 (1875). — D’Albert. & Salvad. op. cit. xiv. 
p. 129 (1879). — Salvad. op. cit. xviii. p. 320 (1882). — Id. Orn. della Papuasia e delle Molucche, iii. 
p. 268 (1882). 
Mr. Wallace first discovered the present species of Rail in the island of Mysol, and the Dutch travellers 
Dr. Bernstein and Mr. Bruijn afterwards procured it in the Moliiccan Islands of Morty or Morotai and 
Halinahera. Von Rosenberg has also met with it in the Arn Islands, and Signor D’Albertis found it on the 
Fly River in Southern New Guinea. It had previously been brought by Mr. Stone from Momile, a 
locality in South-western New Guinea, to the interior of Port Moresby. As Count Salvadori has jiointed 
out, we erroneously spoke of the original specimen as coming from Morty Island instead of Mysol, when 
we were describing Mr. Stone’s collection. A bird procured in the Solomon Islands and forwarded by 
Mr. Gerrard KrelFt, of Sydney, to Dr. Sclater, was named by him Rallus intactus. Count Salvadori has 
carefully examined the latter specimen and compared it with the type, atid has come to the conclusion that 
the two are identical. 
Nothing is known of the habits of this fine Rail, which, on account of its bare face, is included by Count 
Salvadori in his genus Gymnocrex, along with G. rosenbergi of Schlegel, from Celebes. 
The following is a deseription of the type specimen : — 
Adult. General colour above ochraceous brown ; wing-coverts like the back, the greater coverts with a 
reddish tinge externally; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills chestnut, with a little ochreous brown at 
the tips and on the outer web, the inner secondaries ochraceous brown like the baek ; lower back, rump, 
upper-tail coverts, and tail-feathers black ; crown of head and hind neck deep chestnut, as also the lores, 
sides of face, ear-coverts, cheeks, throat, sides of neck, and fore neck, with the throat paler and more ashy 
whitish ; chest and remainder of under surface leaden grey, blacker on the abdomen, sides of body, and 
flanks; thighs leaden grey; under tail-coverts black; under wing-coverts and axilhiries black, mottled with 
broad white tips at the end of the feathers ; quills below chestnut, a little more dusky at the ends. Total 
length 13 inches, culmen 2*1, wing 7*1, tail 2’7, tarsus 2‘2. 
The figure in the Plate represents an adult bird of the size of life, and has been drawn from the tyj)e 
specimen of Rallus intactus, recently presented by Dr. Selater to the British Museum. 
[R. B. S.] 
