45. GALLINULA. 173 



flections of ruddy brown ; scapulnrs like the back ; wing-coverts 

 slightly more ashy and washed with olivo-l)rown, especially towards 

 the ends ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills blackish brown, 

 externally washed with ashy brown, the outer bastard wing-feathers 

 and first primary externally edged with white ; the innermost 

 secondaries more ruddy brown and washed with olive like the 

 back ; tail-feathers blackish, with a slight wash of olive-brown : 

 crown of head and sides of face blackish, fading off into dark slaty 

 grey on the sides of the neck and hind neck ; throat also blackish, 

 fading gradually off into dark slaty grej', the same as the rest of 

 the under surface ; the lower flanks washed with brown, the sides 

 of the body broadly streaked with white, which occupies the greater 

 ])art of the outer feathers ; abdomen more or less varied with white 

 edges to the feathers ; under tail-coverts white, with the feathers 

 of the vent and the long median tail-coverts black ; under wirjg- 

 covcrts and axillaries ashy grey, tipped with white, the bend of the 

 wing edged with white : " frontal shield and two thirds of the bill 

 deep lake-red, the tip of the latter greenish yellow for about one 

 third ; legs olive-green, the broad scaling on the fore part of the 

 tarsus, and the scales on the upper part of the toes, lemon-yellow ; 

 joint of heel dusky olive-green, with a shade of lemon-yellow 

 immediately below the garter, which is dark lake-red ; iris red- 

 dish " {li. B. S., MSS.). Total length 12-5 inches, culmen with 

 frontal shield 1-55, wing 7"3, tail 2'9, tarsus 1*S5, middle toe and 

 claw 2-95. 



Adult female. Similar to the male in colour, but having the 

 white streaks on the flanks not quite so broad. Total length 

 ll'o inches, culmen with frontal .shield 1'35, wing G"4, tail 2-8, 

 tarsus I'T, middle toe and claw 2-0. 



Young. Browner than the adult, the head a little more dusky 

 brown than the back ; sides of face dark brown ; throat white, 

 with dusky bases to the feathers ; rest of under surface brown, the 

 fealliers edged with white ; abdomen entirely white ; the flank- 

 stripes buft'y white and very luirrow : bill black, dull red along 

 edge of tomium and on lower mandible ; logs fleshy brown, darker 

 on the tarsal joint and toes ; claws light horn-brown. 



The young bird gains the adult plumage in the following spring, 

 l)y tlie shedding of the brown or whitish margins of the feathers of 

 tlie under surface, so that the grey plumage of the adult gradually 

 supervenes. 



Specimens vary much in size, and those from the far east 

 (G. orii'iitalis) are decidedly smaller than those from Europe. This 

 small race is also prevalent in China, but being approached iu 

 dimensions by many specimens from other parts of the Old World 

 I cannot find adequate justification for the separation of G. orien- 

 falis even as a distinct race. The chief character for the separa- 

 tion of G. piirrhorhoa of ifadagascar is said to be the fulvescent 

 tint of the under tail-coverts ; but as this feature sometimes occurs 

 in both young and old birds of the English ifoorhen, I have been 

 unable to consider G. piirrhorhoa to be specifically distinct. 



