A Manual of Philippine Birds. Richard C. McGregor
half of outer webs; lores, a narrow line under eye, and ear-coverts nearly black with a faint wash of metallic green; metallic green of back and sides of neck continued in a distinct band across the breast, only slightly interrupted at center of breast and inclosing a beautiful orange plastron formed by the bristle-like tips of the feathers of the fore breast; basal portion of these feathers as well as chin, throat, sides of face, and sides of throat pure white; an indistinct white band behind the green pectoral band; hind breast and upper abdomen pearly ash, a few of the feathers tipped with creamy white; belly creamy white; flanks, thighs, and under tail-coverts buff; under surface of tail like upper, the terminal band being rather more pronounced; under wing-coverts, axillars, and basal portion of inner webs of all the quills chestnut-brown; rest of quills dark brown. Iris light silver-gray; bill slaty gray at tip, black at base; legs and feet light red; nails light brown. Length, 286; wing, 153; tail, 103; culmen, 21; tarsus, 36.
“Extremely rare and difficult to obtain. We secured two fine males but failed to get a female.” (Bourns and Worcester.)
55. PHLEGŒNAS PLATENÆ Blasius.
MINDORO PUÑALADA.
Phlogœnas platenæ “Blasius,” Hartert, Jour. für Ornith. (1891) 302; Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1893), 21, 588; Sharpe, Hand-List (1899), 1, 88; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 15.
Mindoro (Platen, Schmacker, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor).
Adult (sexes similar).—Head and neck dark metallic green changing to amethystine; scapulars, back, and rump chestnut, many of the feathers edged with metallic green; below white becoming faint buff or ochraceous on abdomen, flanks, and tail-coverts; finely speckled with gray on sides of breast; red crop-patch very small; alula, primaries, and primary-coverts brown; secondaries and coverts chestnut, except some of the lesser series which are blackish with broad light gray tips forming a conspicuous patch; upper tail-coverts and middle pair of tail-feathers gray, remainder of rectrices blackish with gray tips. Iris purple; bill black; legs dark rose-color; nails gray. Length, 275 to 285. A male measures: Wing, 150; tail, 106; exposed culmen, 20; tarsus, 34. A female: Wing, 141; tail, 100; exposed culmen, 20; tarsus, 34.
Two nests with eggs were collected on the Baco River in 1905. The first was taken April 28, and was placed 1.5 meters from the ground on a horizontal limb of a small tree. The two eggs were advanced in incubation. They measure 30 by 22 and 29 by 22. The second nest was similarly placed in a shrub. The nest measures 200 by 280 mm. across the top and is very shallow, the outside depth being about 50 mm. On the bottom are a number of rather large leaves and sticks, topped by fine rootlets and spiral plant-tendrils. The materials were poorly put together so that a large part of the bottom fell off when the nest was removed from its site. The two eggs were well incubated. They measure 29 by 22 and 30 by 21. Their color is light cream.
“Common in the old forests in the interior of Mindoro, but very difficult to shoot. We found its nest in a tangle of vines about two meters above the ground. The female flew from the nest to the ground and pretended to be lame. The nest, which contained two young birds, was found in the month of May.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
Subfamily CALŒNADINÆ.
Genus CALŒNAS Gray, 1840.
The genus Calœnas is distinguished by having the feathers of the neck long, narrow, and pointed; bill deep, with a knob on the base of culmen; legs and feet large, covered with large transverse plates; tail short and square.
56. CALŒNAS NICOBARICA (Linnæus).
NICOBAR PIGEON.
Columba nicobarica Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 164.
Calœnas nicobarica Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1893), 21, 615; Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898), 4, 24, fig. 5 (head); Sharpe, Hand-List (1899), 1, 91; Oates, Cat. Birds’ Eggs (1901), 1, 106; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 15.
Dun-dú-nai, native name.
Mindoro (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Negros (Bourns & Worcester); Palawan (Platen); Sibutu (Everett); Siquijor (Celestino); Sulu (Bourns & Worcester); Talaran, off Basilan (Freer); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester). Nicobar and Greater Sunda Islands, Mergui and Bismark Archipelagos, Moluccas to New Guinea.
Adult male.—Head, neck, throat, and breast dark slate or blue-black; long neck-plumes, mantle, back, wing-coverts, and some of the inner secondaries bright metallic green, blue, or bronze-red changing with the light; primaries and outer secondaries black, more or less edged with blue; tail and its coverts pure white; abdomen, flanks, and thighs blue-black with more or less metallic green. Wing, 250; tail, 82; culmen from base, 24; tarsus, 40.
“Female.—Similar to the male but smaller, narrow feathers of the neck shorter, and also frontal knob smaller.
“Young.—Like the female, but the tail greenish black.” (Salvadori.)
“Rare in all the islands visited by us except Tawi Tawi, where it is very common. Invariably found on the ground in deep woods. It rises very heavily and with much noise, always alighting in low trees, and then flying from tree to tree if disturbed. Iris dark brown; legs dark purple; upper surface of feet dark purple; lower surface yellow; nails yellow; bill black. Seven specimens average as follows: Length, 346; culmen, 23; wing, 241; tail, 86; tarsus, 38; middle toe and claw, 48.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
Order RALLIFORMES.
RAILS, GALLINULES, AND COOTS.
Size medium to small; body compressed; thighs very muscular; legs rather long; toes long; wing short and rounded; tail short and soft, composed of ten or twelve feathers; bill strong but variable in form; long and slightly curved in typical rails, short and thick in the crakes, subconical and heavy in Porphyrio; nostrils pervious and variable in shape; wing usually bearing a short spine or a flattened knob. Most of the species inhabit marsh-land, rice-fields, or thick beds of reeds bordering ponds and streams; Rallina, Amaurornis, and Gallicrex are often found in dry fields or underbrush at considerable distances from water. The nest is placed on the ground and well concealed among reeds or bunches of grass; usually situated near water or marshy ground. The eggs vary in number from four to ten, and are usually much spotted and streaked. The downy young are coal-black.
Family RALLIDÆ.
Characters same as those given for the Order.
Subfamilies.
a1. Toes without webs or lobes. Rallinæ (p. 66)
a2. Toes lobate. Fulicinæ (p. 81)
Subfamily RALLINÆ.
Genera.
a1. No frontal shield.b1. Bill more slender; exposed culmen equal to middle toe without claw. Hypotænidia (p. 66)b2. Bill stouter; exposed culmen much less than middle toe without claw.c1. Culmen not swollen at base; wing less than 140 mm.d1. Tarsus longer than middle toe with claw. Rallina (p. 69)d2. Tarsus about equal to middle toe with claw or shorter.e1. Culmen decidedly longer than hind toe with claw; under tail-coverts banded with white.f1. Smaller; wing, 90 mm. or less; forehead, throat, and breast slate-gray. Porzana (p.