Order RALLIFORMES. 
No. 106. 
Family RALLI DM. 
HYPORALLUS MUELLERI. 
AUCKLAND ISLAND RAIL. 
(Plate 78.) 
Rallus mtjelleri Rothschild, Bull. Brit. Om. Club, Vol. I., p. xl., May 1st, 1893 : Auckland 
Island. 
Rallus muelleri Rothschild, Bull. Brit. Om. Club, Vol. I., p. xl., May 1st, 1893 ; Mathews and 
Iredale, Ibis, 1913, p. 209. 
Hypotcenidia muelleri Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., Vol. XXIII., p. 330, 1894 (pref. Feb. 17th) ; 
Buller, Birds New Zeal. Suppl., Vol. I., p. 42, 1905 ; Rothschild, Proc. IV., Int. Orn. Congress, 
1907, pi. vn. 
Hyporallus Iredale and Mathews, Bull. Brit. Om. Club, Vol. XLVI., p. 76, Feb. 25th, 1926. Type 
(by original designation) : Rallus muelleri Rothschild. 
Hyporallus muelleri Mathews, Syst. Av. Austral., p. 80, July 13th, 1927. 
[? Rallus brachipus Buller, Trans. New Zeal. Inst., 1878, Vol. XI., p. 362, May, 1879, ex. Ibis, 
July, 1875, p. 396. Von. Hiigel in a letter to the Editor, Buller Birds New Zeal., 2nd edn., 
Vol. II., p. 100, 1888.] 
Distribution : Auckland Island (extinct). 
Adult. Upper-surface of head, occiput and neck brownish-red, faintly and irregularly striated 
with black ; back and rump bright chestnut, with the centres of the feathers black ; wings 
brownish-black, faintly edged with rufous-grey ; cheeks reddish-grey ; centre of the throat 
reddish-white ; lower part of throat and breast rufous-grey ; flanks, abdomen and under 
tail-coverts black, each feather tipped with pale rufous and with two wiiite bands ; tail 
rufous, with indistinct grey bands. Wing 84 mm., culmen 28, tarsus 28, central toe with 
claw 33, tail 33. 
Nest and eggs not known. 
Nothing is known of this bird’s habits ; the unique skin is in Frankfurt 
Museum. My figure is a copy of that done by the late J. G. Keulemans for 
Lord Rothschild, as above, and I have also copied the original description. 
This genus, Hyporallus, differs from Rallus in the reduction of the wings 
and the strengthening of the legs, similar to that seen in Nesolimnas and 
Nesophylax. 
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