350 BULLETIN 135, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



ponds are more or less overgrown, especially around the borders, with 

 water huisache bushes and scattered clumps of cat-tail flags. Some 

 of the nests were in the flags and similar in construction to those de- 

 scribed above. One nest, found by Mr. Simmons, was in a low crotch 

 of a huisache bush, close to the water. 



In Florida we found Florida gallinules breeding in all the 

 ponds where we found purple gallinules breeding, rather more 

 numerous than the latter, but nowhere very abundant. They had 

 eggs during the last week in April. The ponds frequented by galli- 

 nules have been described under the foregoing species. The Florida 

 gallinules' nests were usually placed in the shallower parts of the 

 ponds, around the borders, where the water was often not over one 

 or two feet deep. They seemed to prefer the extensive tracts of 

 pickerel weed (Pontederia cordata), but they often nested among the 

 "bonnets" {Nymphaea advena) mixed with a lower growth of water 

 pennywort {Hydrocotyle ranunculoides) . The nests were placed just 

 above the water, or practically floating, and usually they were more 

 or less wet. They were made of the dead stems and leaves of the 

 pickerel weed. There were generally three or four empty nests in 

 the vicinity of every occupied one. 



N. B. Moore says, in his Florida notes, that an interval of one or 

 two days often occurs between the layings of eggs. He also states 

 that the birds add to the material in the nest during the egg laying 

 period, placing new green leaves of Pontederia under, as well as around, 

 the eggs; most of the material was probably within reach, as the bird 

 stood on the nest; and it was probabl}^ added, as the leaves dried 

 and shrunk, to keep the nest high and dry. He ascertained these 

 facts by visiting a nest daily from the time nest building began until 

 the young left the nest. 



Verdi Burtch (1917) mentions a case where, after a heavy rain, the 

 birds raised a nest, eggs and all, at least 10 inches by the addition of 

 new green flags. 



Eggs. — The Florida gaUinule lays from 6 to 17 eggs, both of which 

 extremes are unusual; probably 10 or a dozen would be nearly the 

 average number; the smaller sets are often incomplete. The eggs 

 are ovate in shape and the shell is smooth, with little or no gloss. 

 The groundcolor varies from "cinnamon" or "cinnamon buff " to 

 "cartridge buff" or "pale olive buff." This is irregularly marked 

 with spots, mostly fine dots, of various shades of brown, from "Van- 

 dyke brown" to "russet," and occasionally with a few spots of 

 "wood brown" or various shades of drab. The measurements of 105 

 eggs average 44 by 31 millimeters; the eggs showing the fom* extremes 

 measure 49.6 by 33, and 39 by 28 milUmeters. 



Young. — Incubation is said to begin with the lajang of the first 

 egg, to last for about 21 days and to be shared by both sexes. The 



