PARRA. 341 
The nest resembles that of the Water-hens, and is a floating mass of grass and reeds, 
and the eggs are thickly scrawled all over with black. 
Of the seven genera known, two are American, one is Australian, two African, and 
two Asiatic. 
PARRA. 
Parra, Liun. Syst. Nat. i. p. 259 (1766). 
Jacana, Schaeffer, Elem. Orn. fol. 2 B, t. 7. figs. 1, 2 (1774) ; Stejneger, Auk, ii. p. 338 (1885) ; 
Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxiv. p. 81 (1896). 
The genus Parra is distributed over a large part. of South America, from Brazil and 
Argentina to Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama. It is distinguished from the other 
Jacanas by the form of the frontal lappet, which is flat and leaf-like, and has a single 
median indentation behind; there is a small pendent lappet at the angle of the mouth, 
and the wing is furnished with a very sharp and well-developed spur. 
The Linnean name Parra has been so well known for more than a century as 
applying to these particular American Jacanas, that we cannot see the advisability of 
changing it to Jacana, as has been recently done. 
1. Parra melanopygia. 
Parra melanopygia, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1856, p. 2831; Scl. & Salv. P. ZS. 1864, p. 872°; Lawr. Ann. 
Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 801°; Salv. P. Z.S. 1867, p. 161*; 1870, p. 218°. 
Jacana melanopygia, Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxiv. p. 84°. 
Supra saturate vinaceo-castanea, supracaudalibus et tectricibus alarum sordidioribus, teetricibus reliquis 
nigris ; remigibus pallide sulphureis, nigro terminaliter limbatis, secundariis longioribus externis 
purpurascenti-nigris, intimis castaneis dorso concoloribus vel medialiter nigricantibus ; supracaudalibus 
et cauda purpurascenti-nigris; pileo et collo undique cum dorso summo et gastreo toto viridi-nigris, 
corporis lateribus vix castaneo lavatis ; subalaribus nigris, intimis et axillaribus castaneo lavatis. Long. 
tota circa 8°5, alee 4°7, caude 1°65, culm. 1°35, tarsi 2-45. (Descr. maris adulti ex Castillo, Veragua. 
Mus. nostr.) . 
Juv, Nigra, scapularibus et tectricibus alarum brunneis, his albido marginatis; pileo et striga postoculari 
nigris ; supercilio lato et facie laterali albis vix flavo tinctis, gastreeo toto albo ; subalaribus et axillaribus 
nigris ; cauda cuprescenti-brunnea ; carunculis facialibus vix evidentibus aut nullis. (Deser. av. juv. ex 
Santa Fé, Veragua. Maus. nostr.) 
Hab. Panama (M‘Leannan ?*), Castillo®®, Santa Fé 4°, Calobre *® (Arcé).—Co.omBia, 
Santa Marta! °. 
This is a northern representative of the common Parra jacana of Brazil, but has a 
darker and more maroon-coloured back, with some of the inner secondaries entirely 
purplish black ; the under surface of the body is blackish, with the sides and inner 
under wing-coverts dark maroon, the outer ones and lower primary-coverts being black. 
The species was originally described by Dr. Sclater from Santa Marta, and has been 
since met with in the State of Panama by M‘Leannan and Arcé. 
