246 ZOOLOGICAL RESEARCHES 



behind the sea-shore. Already in September I beared every 

 night a noise almost like that of our Corn-Crake. My boys 

 informed me that it was made by the » black Water-hen" 

 in the above mentioned swamp, about a mile from my 

 station. As this swamp was, on account of the rains, al- 

 most inaccessible, all my pains were in vain until the 22i'^ , 

 when I happened to shoot my first adult specimen , after 

 the water had fallen a little. These birds were always found 

 in pairs, of which three were believed to live in this 

 swamp. They were very shy and would scarcely allow them- 

 selves to be seen till after we had remained a good while 

 motionless in a well-hidden spot. I never found them 

 swimming, although in some places the water was very 

 deep, bub they always Avalked with a most graceful step 

 and nodding head on the mud and , as much as possible , 

 beside and through the high grass. They are not easily 

 put up and fly very low above the water for a short dis- 

 tance. After having fallen in again, they run very fast to 

 hide themselves in thickets of brushwood or inaccessible 

 grassy islets. Towards the end of October the nocturnal 

 sounds were heard no more and I supposed the birds 

 would be breeding, but notwithstanding all the efforts I 

 made with my boys we were not able to find a nest. On 

 the 15tli of November one of my boys brought in three 

 live young ones , apparently just hatched. These birds 

 could run tolerably fast already, and were entirely covered 

 with black down. 



Adult: Iris and eyebrows crimson , bill yellowish grass- 

 green, feet coral-red. 



Young: Iris brown; bill flesh-color, with a black cross- 

 band before the nostrils, becoming broader on the lower 

 mandible; feet brown. 



Phoenicopterus spec? 



We have never met with Flamingos, but a friend of 

 mine , Bishop Penick , an American Missionary at Roberts- 



>Iotes from the Leyden JMuseum, Vol. VII. 



