WHITE SWAMP HEN 
There can be no doubt but that the drawing here reproduced represents 
alba. There is only one bird, alba, and the genus is Porphyrio. 
The skin was bought from the Leveranium Museum, London, in 1806, by 
Mr. Von Eitchel. The number hi the catalogue is 41, no price was mentioned 
in this case, but in some cases the price is given. He bought 204 birds, five 
of which are now extinct. 
Psittirostra psittacea Gmelin, Type. 
Drepanis pacifica Temm. 
Platycercus ulieteanus Gmelin, Type (c/. Ibis, 1873, p. 30). 
Coracopsis mascarina ( cf . id., p. 32). 
There is also in this museum a skin of Pennula sandwichensis, labelled 
Gallinula obscura, the Radius obscurus of Latham = Gmelin “New Holland”, 
received in exchange from Temminck. 
Mr. K. A. Hindwood sends me the following interesting account from the 
Journal of the Surgeon [Bowes] of the “ Lady Penrhyn ”. He was the first 
man after Lieut. Ball to visit Lord Howe Island, and the next after Ball to remark 
on these birds. 
He says under date 16th May, 1788 
“ When I was in the woods amongst the birds I could not help picturing 
to myself the Golden Age as described by Ovid—to see the fowls or coots, 
some white, some blue and white, others all blue with large red bills and 
a patch of red on the top of their heads.” 
This is accompanied by a painting of these birds, the central figure white, 
the ones on either side white with blue spots on their backs. 
The above was afterwards published in Emu, Vol. xxxii., pt. I, July, 1932, 
p. 24, pi. 6. 
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