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PALAEOLIMNAS NEWTONI(MILNE-EDWARDS).
- Poules d'eau Sieur D.B., Voyages 1674.
- Fulica newtoni Milne-Edwards, Ann. Sci. Nat. (5) VIII pp. 194-220, pls. 10-13 (1867).
The translation of the Sieur D.B.'s (Abbé Dubois) description is as follows:—"Waterhens which are as large as fowls. They are always black, and have a large white crest on the head." For the anatomical description I must refer my readers to Professor Milne-Edwards.
Habitat: Bourbon.
Milne-Edwards gives so many details in which Fulica newtoni agrees with Palaeolimnas chathamensis that I feel convinced that the former is not a true Fulica, and, until we know its skull and can decide for certain, I think it is best to include it in the genus Palaeolimnas. 16 tibiae, 30 metatarsi, 8 humeri, 2 sternums, 4 fragments and an entire pelvis and sacrum, and 3 cervical vertebrae in the Tring Museum.
PALAEOLIMNAS PRISCA(HAMILTON).
- Fulica prisca Hamilton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXV, p. 98 (1893).
This bird was nearly as large as Notornis, but with a very small head and with a frontal shield. It was probably a poor flier, though not flightless, as Fulica chathamensis was. It was smaller than the latter. Measurements, according to Hamilton:—
| prisca. | newtoni. | chathamensis. | ||||
| Femur: Length | 78-93 | mm. | — | 85 | mm. | |
| Tibio-tarsus: Length | 143-162 | " | 144 | mm. | 152-163 | " |
| Tarso-metatarsus: Length | 81-98 | " | 88 | " | 96 | " |
Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand.
