522 KALLUS AQUATICUS. 



this adaptation of its structure to its habits, nor fail to per- 

 ceive that were it as broad as a Partridge, it could not thread 

 its way among the stiff reeds with that facility which seems 

 to us so admirable. The details of its exterior will be found 

 to agree with the generic character, so that little remains 

 here to be said of it. The tarsi have thirteen anterior 

 scutella, the first toe ten, the second twenty, the third twenty- 

 six, the fourth also twenty-six. The claws are rather long, 

 slender, tapering, compressed, acute, little arched. The 

 plumage is blended, but the feathers of the back are a little 

 stiff, and those of the forehead have their shafts enlarged and 

 elongated. The wings are short, broad, and rounded, with 

 twenty-three quills ; the primaries very broad, rounded, and 

 weak, the first as long as the seventh, seven-twelfths of an 

 inch shorter than the second, which is longest, but scarcely 

 exceeds the third ; the secondary quills are long, broad, and 

 rounded, the inner elongated. The tail is short, much 

 rounded and arched, the feathers narrow and feeble. 



The bill is dark brown, with the edges of the upper and 

 two-thirds of the lower mandible light red. The iris red. 

 The feet are light reddish-brow r n, approaching to flesh-colour ; 

 the claws greyish-brown. The upper parts are olive brown, 

 streaked with brownish-black, the middle of each feather 

 being of the latter colour. The alula, primaries, and outer 

 secondaries are dusky, tinged with olive ; some of the small 

 feathers on the edge of the wdng barred with white and black. 

 The tail feathers and inner secondaries are like those of the 

 back. A small portion of the throat is greyish-white ; the 

 fore part of the neck and the breast of a dull greyish-blue ; 

 the abdomen and inner part of the tibia cream-coloured ; the 

 sides and haunches, as w r ell as the lower wing-coverts, barred 

 with white and black ; and the smaller lower tail-coverts 

 cream-coloured at the end, but barred with black ; the proxi- 

 mal or large coverts white. 



Length to end of tail llf inches; extent of wing 16; 

 wing from flexure 5 ; tail 2| ; bill along the ridge 1-^- ; along 

 the edge of lower mandible 1^4 ; tarsus 1-^ ; first toe fa, 

 its claw fa ; second toe 1-j^-, its claw fa ; third toe 1-j-^, its 

 claw -fa ; fourth toe 1^, its claw -fa. 



