54 THE GAME BIRDS 
and same color under the tail; bill white, 
shaded with very dark red at tip and _ base. 
Legs greenish slate-color, and the joints of the 
toes are furnished with broad flaps. Eyes red. 
Length 17 feet, extent 2 feet or over. 
Its habits are very much lke the Gallinules, 
inhabiting the marshes where the reeds are 
thick and the water plenty, and though they 
delight to sport in the open water, they 
quickly take to their reedy coverts when 
disturbed. 
The reason that I objected to their intro- 
duction here was on account of the general 
verdict of gunners that they were unfit for 
food. I never tried but once; I never shall 
try again; a thought of the first experience 
is enough, and in my younger days any one 
who would eat a ** mud-hen” would eat crow. 
But I have found many advocates of the bird, 
as many as of the ** Sea-Coot,” another of the 
same ilk as regards epicurean tastes, and 
hence it is here. 
