GALLINULA.—PORPHYRIOLA. 327 
dimidiatis ornatis; subalaribus cinerascentibus, albido marginatis; remigibus infra cinerascentibus : 
rostro et chlamyde frontali scarlatinis, illius apice viridi-flava ; pedibus flavicanti-viridibus, tibi parte 
nuda miniata. Long. tota 13-0, ale 6°7, caudee 2°75, culm. 1:0, tarsi 1-95. (Descr. av. adult. ex Mexico. 
Mus. nostr.) 
Juv. Brunnescentior, loris et gutture albis; plumis gastrei totius albido marginatis, abdomine et pectore 
medianis albis. 
Hab. Temperate Norta America, from Canada southward 18,—MeExico (Deppe & 
Schiede 1° 9°), Mazatlan, Tepic (Grayson®), Valley of Mexico (Herrera '4 1), 
Tehuantepec city (Sumichrast ° 1), Shkolak, Yucatan (Stone & Baker 1*), Peto 2, 
Cozumel I.9' (Gaumer); Honpuras, Lake of Yojoa (Taylor®); Guatemata 2°, 
Lake of Duefias (0. 8.7); Nicaragua, Los Sdbalos (Nutting 12), Greytown 
(Holland *) ; Costa Rica’ (Carmiol ").—Sourn America!’ to Peru, Brazil, and 
Chile 17; West Inptss 2’. 
The North-American Water-hen breeds throughout the greater part of its range in 
the United States and Canada, as also in Western Mexico and probably further south. 
Grayson, who found it nesting in May and June in a lagoon near Tepic 4, states, 
however, that the species is principally known as a winter visitor to Western Mexico, 
where it arrives in considerable numbers, and at the same season it is found in 
Central America, the greater part of South America, and the West-Indian Islands. 
The habits of G. galeata seem to be identical with those of the European 
G. chioropus, and its nest and eggs are also similar. The latter are from six to eight 
in number, of a light yellowish-brown or dark cream-colour, with spots and a few 
blotches of dark brown; they are slightly larger than those of the European Moor-hen, 
but are not otherwise distinguishable. 
PORPHYRIOLA. 
Porphyrula, Blyth, Cat. Birds Mus. As. Soc. p. 283 (1849, descr. nulla). 
Tonornis, Reichenb. Nat. Syst. p. xxi. 
Porphyriola, Sundev. Av. Meth. Tent. p. 131 (1872) ; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxiii. p. 187 
(1894). 
Like the foregoing genus, Porphyriola has a frontal shield, but is remarkable also 
for its bright green and blue colouring, wherein it resembles the Purple Gallinules 
(Porphyrio). rom the latter, however, it is distinguished by the shape of the nostrils, 
which are rounded and not situated in a nasal depression in that genus, whereas in 
the Moor-hens (Gallinula) and the Blue Water-hens (Porphyriola) the nostrils are 
oval and there is a distinct nasal depression. The toes in Porphyriola have no lateral 
membranes, and in this respect the genus differs from Gallinula, as well as in its bright 
blue colour. 
Of the three known species, only one inhabits our region. 
“1. Porphyriola martinica, 
La petite Poule-Sultane, Briss. Orn. v. p. 526, t. 42. fig. 2’. 
Fulica martinica, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 259°. 
