_Cabalus modestus_ and _Nesolimnas dieffenbachi_ of the Chatham Islands are curious little brown forms with no visible tail, closely allied to the next genus, which they resemble in being flightless, and apparently in general habits. _Ocydromus_ contains the Wood-Hens, or Weka Rails, of New Zealand, of which _O. greyi_ of the North Island is tawny above with dark shaft-stripes or bars, and grey below with fulvous fore-neck and sides. _O. carli_ of the South Island is more cinnamon in hue; _O. australis_, also of the South Island, is less grey below, and usually has barred flanks; _O. fuscus_ of the south-west of the South Island is blacker than the first-named; _O. hectori_ is a paler race of _O. australis_. These Rails are semi-nocturnal, and sometimes excavate burrows, in which, or in the scrub, they pass much of the day; the localities preferred are dry woods, ravines, and sandy shores, _O. fuscus_ obtaining the name of Kelp-Hen from the stretches of sea-weed that it frequents. This species feeds on sea-molluscs, but its congeners will eat young birds, lizards, caterpillars, worms, insects, and berries. The cry is a sharp whistle, often preceded by a growl, the birds being very tame when unmolested. They are pugnacious, inquisitive, and thievish, stealing articles from tents or houses, attacking fowls, or sucking their eggs. Their own eggs are from five to seven, both these and the nest, which is generally in a burrow, much resembling those of other Rails. _Ocydromus sylvestris_, of Lord Howe Island, is nearly uniform rufous above and brownish below, with barred wings and tail; it lays similar eggs upon the ground. The dusky _Tricholimnas lafresnayi_ of New Caledonia is remarkable for its soft hair-like plumage, and the purplish-brown and black _Gymnocrex rosenbergi_ of Celebes for its bare yellowish orbits.