GALLINULINiE. 719 



Length 12 to 13 inches; extent 20 ; wing 6| ; tail nearly 3; bill 

 at gape Ij'^j ; tarsns ly^jj; "middle toe and claw 2j^. The female 

 is laro-er and somewhat richer colored than the male. The 

 young has the head and upper parts olivaceous brown ; the throat, 

 neck in front, and a spot beneath the eye whitish ; breast and 

 beneath, pale grey. 



The Water-hen is generally diflfused throughout India and the 

 whole of the Old Continent, preferring small rivers, jheels, and 

 tanks bordered by a belt of shrubs and trees. It swims freely, but 

 when approached always retreats to the shore, and conceals itself 

 amono- the branches of trees or shrubs, which it climbs with ijreat 

 facility, or among thick reeds. It runs with the tail erect. The 

 food of theWater-hen is chiefly vegetable, but it also takes aquatic 

 insects, larvas, and even it is said, small fish. It is considered good 

 eating by many. It generally makes a large nest of weeds either 

 floating or fixed to reeds and branches, and lays six to eight pink- 

 ish-cream or grey eggs, spotted and ringed with red-brown. 



906. Gallinula Burnesii, Blyth. 



J. A. S. XIII. lU—Gajra, Sindh. 



Small Water-hen. 



Descr. — Similar to G. cliloropus, or intermediate to it and 

 Porzana akool; the head and neck are like those of the common 

 Water-hen, but the frontal plate is small or wanting; the outer web 

 of the 1st primary is white, and the outermost feather of the 

 winglet is also bordered with white; the wing-coverts are dark 

 slaty ash ; and the under tail-coverts are white. It is smaller than 

 G. chloropus ; extent 1 8 inches ; tarsus 2^ ; mid-toe 2| ; claws 

 also shorter ; irides bright pale crimson ; legs and feet as in 

 chloropus, but the orange garter less developed. 



This species was discriminated by Mr. Blyth from a drawing and 

 some fragments of a specimen sent by Sir A. Burnes, from the 

 Munchur lake in Sindh. It appears to me rather a doubtful 

 species, but I shall retain it in the hopes of other specimens 

 turning up. 



