_Fulica chathamensis_ H. O. Forbes, Nature, vol. XLVI p. 252 (1892).
_Fulica newtoni_ H. O. Forbes, l.c. (non Milne-Edwards).
_Palaeolimnas newtoni_ H. O. Forbes, Ibis 1893, p. 544.
_Palaeolimnas chathamensis_ Milne Edwards, Ann. Sci. Nat. (VIII) 2,
1896 p. 130.
Dr. Forbes says in Nature "I procured from the same beds which contained
_Aphanapteryx_ a certain number of bones of a _Fulica_ which much resemble
those of _Fulica newtoni_; like the bones of _Aphanapteryx_ (should be
_Diaphorapteryx_, W.R.) they vary much in size, some being equal to, while
others were considerably larger than similar bones of _Fulica newtoni_.
This variation is so great that I am inclined to consider them as belonging
to different species, or at least different races. I have given the name
_Fulica chathamensis_" to the larger species.
Later, in the Ibis, Dr. Forbes says, "The limb-bones and pelvis correspond
so closely to those of _F. newtoni_ that I am not able to separate them.
The head of the type is, however, unknown."
Professor Milne-Edwards, however, points out numerous differences. In the
humerus the sub-trochanterial groove is bigger, and particularly wider than
in typical _Fulica_. The iliac grooves are larger than in _Fulica newtoni_,
the pelvic knob is more extended, and the sciatic foramen is larger. The
first sacral vertebrae are stunted below the median sinus, while in the
Mauritius species one observes a very stout one, occupying the four first
vertebrae of the pelvis. The feet were also larger and stronger than in the
latter.
Habitat: Chatham Islands.
An almost complete skeleton and numerous bones in the Tring Museum, and an
almost complete skeleton in the British Museum. {150}