On Talegallus pyrrhopigius

Two species of Talegallus are generally known to naturalists. One, Talegallus Lathamii inhabiting Australia, is remarkable for its size equalling almost that of the Turkey, for its wattled throat and tolerably long roofshaped tail. The other, Talegallus Cuvieri, is found in New-Guinea and most of its dependencies, viz: the isles of Mysole, Salawattie, Aru and Iobie. This latter species, however, has been subdivided, by certain modern naturalists, into several other species. All those birds presenting the same size, the same proportions and the same coloring of plumage, other characters have been sought for in order to corroborate those species. One of these characters is said to be in the coloring of the legs and feet, reddish in Talegallus jobiensis, Meyer, yellow in the specimens of all other countries. The specimens of Iobie, have, moreover, after the statement of Dr. Meyer, the feathers of the crown somewhat larger and more elongated, a phenomen presented also by some specimens of Tinamus major, separated by Cabanis under the name of Trachypelmus subcristatus, a separation which appears rather hazardous. The specimens of the Archipel of Aru and South-Eastern New-Guinea are entitled, in the opinion of Salvadori, to the rank of a different species, designated by him under the name of Talegallus fuscirostris on account of the brownish color of their bill. Our specimens from the Aru islands have like all others the bill yellow, although Mr. von Rosenberg states in his manuscript that the bill of these very same specimens when they were newly killed, was of the same brownish color, shown by young birds and which is gradually fading into yellow. Lastly, I wish to mention that the Talegallus Arfaki of Salvadori is established on a couple of newly-born specimens caught on the Arfak range of mountains.