242 
Mr. J. E. Harting on rare 
which was said to differ materially from the only species of 
the genus then known to inhabit the New World. Their 
description and measurements, to which I shall presently 
refer, left little to be desired save the acquisition of further 
specimens and the information which other observers might 
supply as to the geographical range and habits of the bird. 
Strange to say, although ten years have elapsed since it was 
brought to the notice of ornithologists, no further obser¬ 
vations, so far as I am aware, have been published in regard 
to this interesting species. 
An opportunity has just been afforded me, through the 
kindness of Mr. Sclater, of examining a carefully finished 
coloured drawing by Herr Landbeck of the identical speci¬ 
men from which the original description was taken. In com¬ 
pliance with his request that I would examine and report upon 
the validity of the species in question, I beg to offer the fol¬ 
lowing remarks:— 
On looking at the plate, which is here faithfully repro¬ 
duced (Plate IX.), the first thing which attracts attention 
is the white head; a second peculiarity is the absence of 
any white bar upon the wing, so conspicuous in the well- 
known species R. avocetta and R. americana ; and one cannot 
fail to notice also that the tail-feathers, instead of being pure 
white, like those of its congeners, are of the same colour as 
the back and wings. 
It is thus particularly described by its discoverers:— 
“ Head and neck white; mantle, wings, and tail black; 
feet bluish grey. 
“ Length from bill to end of tail 1 foot 6 inches 9 lines; 
bill 3*2 inches ; tail 4 ; wing from carpus 9*6; bare tibia 1*3; 
tarsus 3*4; middle toe 1*7; outer toe 1*5; inner toe 1*2; 
hind toe *3. 
The wings do not quite reach to the end of the tail. The 
tibia is bare for 1*3 inch. The bill is horn-black at the ex¬ 
tremity, graduating into horn-brown. Iris bright red. Tarsus 
bluish grey; claws black. Head, neck, breast, belly, under 
wing- and under tail-coverts, lower part of back and rump, 
fianks, and thighs pure snowy white. Upper part of back, 
