(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, sparsely 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 12¾ "
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 Keulemans' plate was done from Forster's unpublished drawing in the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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