RALLI CULA FORBE S I, Sharpe

Forbes’s Rail.

 

: Pa 7 y  AcG rae |DRIA & me :
We have a mw the accompanying Plate a Rail which appears to us to be undoubtedly new to
t is a third species of « st interesting genus 1
¢ | of a most interesting genus, which, so far as we know at present, is

science.
entirely confined to New Guinea, the two species hitherto described, viz, Rallicula rubra and R leucospila
© ’

being from the Arfak Mountains in North-western New Guinea. The former of these has been recently

figured by Dr. Guillemard in the ‘ Proceedings’ of the Zoological Society for 1885; but of R. leucospila

no figure at present exists, nor have we ever seen a specimen.
’ ° ee : pe Ce ae : e ‘ 5 - i
Forbes’s Rail seems to differ from both the above-mentioned species in having the back and wings
entirely black, the female, or young bird, having ochreous spots on the back. A. rubra is, as its name
a reddish bird, while 2. leucospila \vas the black feathers of the upper parts edged with white.

implies,
ail which allies the genus Rallicula to the African

Like its congeners, R. forbesi has the curious tufted t
genus Corethrura.

The colours of the species are so simple
ting the back and wings, which are

that only a short description is necessary. The adult bird
black. The rump is dusky blackish,
tail-coverts chestnut, barred with black, the tail-feathers chestnut,
d, and reduced to spots on the ends of some of the longer coverts ;
with dull reddish bars; the under tail-coverts very
barred with white ;
Total

is everywhere deep chestnut, excep
barred with dull rufous; the upper
with the black bars less perfectly indicate
the fanks and lower abdomen are dusky blackish,
long, chestnut, broadly barred with black. Under wing-coverts and axillaries black,
the quills black below, with broad spots ochreous buff on the inner web.
length 85 inches, culmen 1:15, wing 4°25, tail 2:45, tarsus 130.

A second bird sent by Mr. Forbes is probably the adult female,
back and wings spotted with ochreous. buff. Total length 8 inches, culmen Ilo, wing

or bars of white or

and only differs in having the
A-2, tail 2°2,

tarsus 1°35.
re on the Owen Stanley range 1n South-eastern New

Mr. Forbes obtained these specimens somewhe
Guinea, but the exact locality ‘s not marked on the label.
and are

: ’ i xamples described
The figures in the Plate are of the natural size, am}

drawn from the typical e

above. (Rk. B. S.J

 

 

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