A.\ AUSTRALIAN BIRD BOOK. 23 



^24 Spotless Crake (Leaden, Tabuan), Swamp-Rail, Little 

 Swamp-Hen, Putoto. P. plumbea, Philippines to A., N. 

 Heb., N. Cal., Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, N.Z., Chatham Is. 



Stat. c. reed-beds 6.3 

 Upper reddish-brown; under dark slate-gray; throat whit- 

 ish; eyes pink; f., young sim. Water-animals. 

 2^25 Black-tailed Native-Hen, Galiinule (e), Tribonyx ven- 

 2 traits, A. Mig. flocks, occ. r. lagoons, rivers 1 5 



Upper brown; under bluish-gray; white marks conspicu- 

 ous on flanks; upper-bill light-green; lower red at base; 

 legs brick-red; runs, seldom flies; f., sim. Water- 

 animals, seeds. 

 1 26*Black Moor-Ken (-Galiinule), Oallinula tenebrosa, 

 8 N.G., A. =vt. cos. Galiinule. Stat. c. lagoons, rivers 15 



Grayish-black; back deep-brown; under tail white at sides; 

 scarlet garter above knee; base bill, plate on forehead 

 blood-red; no white on flanks; jerks tail; f., smaller. 

 Water-animals, plants. 

 2 27*Bakl-Coot, Purple Galiinule, Black-backed Water 

 16 (Swamp, Macquarie) Hen, Pukeko, Redbill (e), 



Porphyrio melanonotus, N.G., A., T., Norfolk Is., 

 Lord Howe Is., N.Z. =vt. cos. bird. 



Stat. c. lagoons, rivers 17.5 

 Hind-neck, breast, flanks indigo-blue; back, wings, tail 

 black; under tail white; eyes orange-red; bill, legs red; 

 jerks tail; f., smaller. Insects, vegetable food. 

 1 28 Australian Coot, Dabchick (e), Fulica australis, A., T., 

 13 =vt. cos. bird. Stat. c. lakes, bays 14 



Sooty-black; bill bluish-gray; eyes red; lobed feet; f., sim. 

 Water-insects, snails. 

 P. 23. Heliornithidae. Finfoot, 5 sp— 1(1)0., 3 (3)E., 1(1)N1. 



of Adelaide. Others invaded the Geraldton district, and even 

 reached Perth in 1886. Northern Victoria was visited in 1909. 



Some of the members of this group are known to all; indeed, 

 when you have finished reading this lecture, I expect to have 

 created in your mind an idea that bird study is very simple — 

 that you know at least one of each of the groups of birds. One 

 further advantage of bird study is that so few birds are found in 

 any district. Thus, only 880 birds have ever been recorded 

 from Australia, whereas there are over 9,000 kinds of native 

 flowering plants, not to mention non-flowering plants. In very 

 few districts could a list of 100 different kinds of birds be compiled 

 in one year. 



Again, while it is impossible to talk popularly of native plants, 

 because they have no common names, that does not apply to birds, 

 for bird-lovers have given a simple name to each bird. Even 

 children, therefore, can talk definitely and exactly about the differ- 

 ent kinds. This is a great advantage. Again, as birds are living, 

 moving, loving, and beautiful animals, they have always been 

 favorite objects of study, and so we know more about them than 



