PURPLE GALLINULE — FLORIDA GALLINULE. 123 



Subfamily GALLINULIN^. 



Genus IONORNIS Reichenhach. 



lONORNTS MARTTNTCA (Linn.;. 



85. Purple Gallinule. (21S) 



Head, neck and under parts beautiful purplish-blue, blackening on tlie belly, 

 the crissiim white; aljove olivaceous-green, the cervix and wing coverts tinted 

 with blue; frontal shield blue; bill red, tipped with yellow; legs yellowish. 

 Youiirf: — With the head, neck and lower back brownish, tiie under parts mostly 

 white, mixed with ochre}'. Length, 10-12; wing, 6i-7 ; tail, 2i-3; bill from 

 gape, about 1^; tarsus, about 2^; middle-toe and claw, about 3. 



Hab. — South Atlantic and Gulf States, north casually to New England 

 (Maine, Nova Scotia) and Ontario. 



Nest, built among rushes over the water; the taller ruslies are bent down and 

 woven together as a support. 



Eggs, eight or nine, cream color, finely dotted with chestnut-l)rown and 

 umber. 



Tn April, 1892, I received a letter from Pickering, describing a 

 bird which had recently been shot b}' Mr. James Cowan, at the 

 imouth of the Rouge in that township, and asking me to identify it. 

 The description was so perfectly correct that I had no difficulty in 

 •deciding it to be the Purple Gallinule, though I had not before heard 

 of its occurrence in Ontario, and I replied to that effect. 



I have since learned that the specimen is now mounted and located 

 somewhere in Toronto. 



This beautiful Gallinule is a resident of the South Atlantic and 

 •Gulf States, but occasionally strays as far north as Ohio, Wisconsin, 

 Maine and New York. 



It is a ver}' handsome bird, whose jaresence in our marshes would 

 add to their intei'est, but Ave are too far north to expect it, save as a 

 very rare visitor. 



Genus GALLINULA Bkisson. 

 GALLINULA GALEATA (Light.). 



86. Florida Gallinule. (219) 



Head, neck and under parts grayish-black, darkest on the formci-, paler or 

 whitening on the belly; back, brownish-olive; wings and tail dusky; crissum 

 edge of wing, and stripes on the flank, white; bill, frontal plate, and ring 

 around tibire red, the former tipped with yellow; tarsi and toes, greenish; 12-15 

 long : wing, 6i-.7-i ; tail, 3h ; gape of bill, about 1 i ; tarsus, about 2. 



