Extinct Birds Part 30

We know nothing of this bird, but the one specimen in the Leyden Museum, which is the type, or at least one of the types. As no other specimens have been obtained for nearly a century and a quarter, there is every reason to fear that this bird is extinct. My plate has been made up by Mr. Lodge from the unpublished drawings of Ellis and Forster in the British Museum.

Habitat: Tahiti, and the adjacent islet of Eimeo.

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AECHMORHYNCHUS COUES.

This genus appears to be closely allied to _Prosobonia_, but has a much shorter hind toe. Its colouration is very different, and quite that of a Sandpiper, while the pattern of _Prosobonia_ is most singular. Seebohm placed _Aechmorhynchus_, together with _Prosobonia_, in the genus _Phegornis_.

We know only one species.

AECHMORHYNCHUS CANCELLATA (GM.)

(PLATE 35.)

_Barred Phalarope_ Latham, Gen. Syn. III. pt. 1, p. 274 (1785--Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean).

_Tringa cancellata_ Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, p. 675 (1788--ex Latham).

_Tringa parvirostris_ Peale, U.S. Expl. Exp., Birds p. 235, pl. LXVI, 2 (1848--Paumotu) Ca.s.sin, U.S. Expl. Exp. p. 321, pl. 38, 2 (1858--Paumotu).

_Tota.n.u.s_ (_Tryngites?_) _cancellatus_ Gray, Cat. B. Trop. Islands Pac.

Ocean, p. 51 (1859).

_Phegornis cancellatus_ Seebohm, Geogr. Distrib. Charadr. p. 451, pl.

17 (1888).

_Aechmorhynchus cancellatus_ Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XXIV, p. 525 (1896).

"Bill short, straight, and slender; wings long, first, second, and third quills very nearly equal; tertiaries but very little longer than the secondaries; tail rather long, wide, rounded; legs and toes long, the former robust; tibia feathered for more than half its length. A distinct stripe over and behind the eye ashy-white. Entire upper parts umber-brown, unspotted on the top of the head, but on the other upper parts edged and tipped with ashy-white and reddish fulvous. Tail-feathers umber-brown, with irregular and imperfect transverse narrow bands of ashy and pale reddish-white, and tipped with the same. Underparts white, with a tinge of ashy; throat and middle of the abdomen unspotted; breast, sides, and under coverts of the tail spotted, and with irregular transverse bars of brown, the latter most apparent on the sides, flanks, and under tail-coverts.

Under wing-coverts ashy-white, irregularly spotted with brown. Bill greenish, darker at the tip; legs dark green. s.e.xes very nearly alike, female slightly paler. (Ca.s.sin.)" {120}

I have here given the synonymy of this bird, as it has now been generally accepted by Seebohm, Sharpe, and others. An actual comparison of the types would, however, be very desirable, but, unfortunately, we do not know where the type of Latham is, and if it still exists. Christmas Island lies much to the north of the Paumotu group! As no specimens have been obtained since the U.S. Exploring Expedition, we may safely suppose that the species has ceased to exist for some reason.

Habitat: "Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean and Paumotu Islands."

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GALLINAGO CHATHAMICA FORBES.

_Gallinago chathamica_ Forbes, Ibis 1893, p. 545.

Evidently a species allied to _G. pusilla_, but very much larger. Bill three inches long.

Habitat: Chatham Islands.

Several skulls and a few bones in the Tring Museum. This is a snipe only a little larger than the existing _Gallinago aucklandica_.

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HYPOTAENIDIA (?) PACIFICUS (GM.)

(PLATE 26.)

_Pacific rail_ Latham, Gen. Syn. III, pt. I, p. 255 (1785).

_Rallus pacificus_ Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, p. 717 (1788).

Forster's description is as follows, in translation: "Black with white spots or bars; abdomen, throat, and eyebrow white; hind neck ferruginous; breast grey; bill blood-red; iris red. Bill straight, compressed, narrowed at the top, thicker at the base, and blood-red. The mandibles subequal, pointed; the upper slightly curved, with the tip pale fuscous; gape medium.

Nostrils almost at the base of bill, linear. Eyes placed above the gape of the mouth. Iris blood-red. Feet four-toed, split, built for running, flesh coloured. Femora semi-bare, slender, of medium length.

"Tibiae slightly compressed, shorter than the femora. Four toes, slender, of which three point forward (are front toes). The middle one almost as long as the Tibia, the side ones of equal length shorter, the back one short, raised from the ground. Nails short, small, slightly incurved, pointed, and light coloured. Head oval, slightly depressed, fuscous. A superciliary line from bill to occiput whitish. Throat white. Hindneck ferruginous. Neck very short. Back and rump black, spa.r.s.ely dotted with minute white dots. Breast bluish grey. Abdomen, crissum, and loins white.

Wings short, wholly black, variegated with broken white bands. Remiges short. Rectrices extremely short, black spotted with white, hardly to be distinguished from the coverts.

Total length from bill to tail 9 inches.

Total length to middle toe 12-3/4 "

Bill 1-1/10 "

Tibiae 2 "

Middle toe 1-3/10 " "

Mr. Keulemans' plate was done from Forster's unpublished drawing in the British Museum, and no specimen is in existence. The legs should, however, be less bright red, more flesh-colour.

Habitat: Tahiti, but evidently long extinct.

This bird, according to Forster, was called "Oomnaa" or "Eboonaa," on Otaheite, and the neighbouring islands.

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NESOLIMNAS ANDREWS.

Differs from _Cabalus_ by the relatively shorter bill; by having the whole culmen convex with the tip sharply decurved, by having a close instead of a loose plumage, and a much less reduced sternum, with a well-developed instead of almost obsolete keel. Type of genus _Nesolimnas dieffenbachi_ (Gray).

NESOLIMNAS DIEFFENBACHII GRAY.

(PLATE 27.)

_Rallus Dieffenbachii_ Gray, Dieffenb., Trav. N.Z. II App. p. 197 (1843).