Volume Ii Part 30 (1/2)

_Hab._ S. Brazil, Paraguay, and N. Argentina.

This Crake is an inhabitant of Southern Brazil and Paraguay, but also occurs in the Northern Provinces of the Argentine Republic, where it was met with by Dr. Burmeister in Tuc.u.man.

375. PORZANA SALINASI (Philippi).

(SPOT-WINGED CRAKE.)

+Rallus salinasi+, _Philippi, Wiegm. Arch._ 1857, pt. i. p. 262 (Chili); _Burm. Ibis_, 1888, p. 285. +Porzana spiloptera+, _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 194, pl. iii. (Buenos Ayres).

_Description._--Above olive-brown with black markings; wings with white cross bands; front, sides of head, and body beneath plumbeous; flanks dark grey, with transverse bars of white; under tail-coverts barred with black and white; beak dark horn-colour; feet rather lighter: whole length 55 inches.

_Hab._ Chili and Argentina.

In 1876 Durnford obtained a specimen of this Crake from the river-scrub near Belgrano in the province of Buenos Ayres, and described and figured it in 'The Ibis' under the MS. name ”_spiloptera_,” which had been given by Dr. Burmeister to an example of the same bird in the Buenos Ayres Museum.

Dr. Burmeister has, however, recently ascertained that the appellation which he proposed for this species must give way to that of _salinasi_, under which t.i.tle it was described in 1857 by Dr. Philippi of Santiago.

_Porzana salinasi_, as we must therefore call it, is most nearly allied to _P. spilonota_ of the Galapagos (_cf._ Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 456), but has the wings more distinctly striped, and the back olive-brown, with black markings, and not of a uniform ferruginous.

376. PORZANA NOTATA (Gould).

(MARKED CRAKE.)

+Zap.o.r.nia notata+, _Gould, Zool. Voy. Beagle_, iii. p. 132, pl.

xlviii. (La Plata). +Porzana notata+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p.

140; _iid. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 456; _Sclater, P. Z. S._ 1876, p.

255.

_Description._--Above dark olive-brown, with small white spots: beneath black, barred across with white: whole length 55 inches, wing 30, tail 13.

_Hab._ Argentina and Patagonia.

The type specimen of this little Crake was obtained during the voyage of the 'Beagle,' on board the s.h.i.+p, when in the Rio Plata. Another specimen was captured off the coast of Uruguay and brought alive to England in 1876. An example of the same species in the Paris Museum was procured by d'Orbigny in Patagonia.

377. PORPHYRIOPS MELANOPS (Vieill.).

(LITTLE WATERHEN.)

+Ortygometra melanops+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 505 (R.

Uruguay). +Porphyriops melanops+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p.

140; _iid. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 461, et 1869, p. 634 (Buenos Ayres); _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 195 (Buenos Ayres).

_Description._--Above olivaceous; head darker; wings brown; wing-coverts tinged with chestnut; outer secondaries more or less distinctly margined with white: beneath cinereous; middle of belly and crissum white; flanks olivaceous, spotted with white; bill dark olive, with the tip yellowish; feet hazel: whole length 90 inches, wing 50, tail 20. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ South America.

In the southern part of the Argentine country the Little Waterhen is a summer visitant, and very abundant in the marshes along the Plata. In language and habits it is like the Coots: it is not often seen on land, and feeds princ.i.p.ally as it swims about in a jerky manner among the floating weeds. It appears in October, migrating exclusively, I think, by night; and after the autumnal departure an individual is rarely seen.