260 



EALLID^, 



Family, RALLID^. 



Bill compressed, short, pointed, thick, wedge-shaped; nostrils in 

 a short groove ; legs stout ; toes long ; tarsi moderate ; tail short. 



Sub-Family, GALLINULINiE,— Watee-Hens. 



Bill with the keel advancing on the forehead, where there is usually a 

 casque ; toes long and slender or bordered by a scolloped web ; wings 

 short and rounded ; hind toe long. 



Gen. Porphyrio.— 5n'55. 



Bill very thick ; casque large; mid-toe as long as tarsi, slender, not 

 fringed with web. 



Porphyrio poliocephalus. The Purple Coot. 



Porphyrio poliocephalus, Viell. N. Diet. Hist. t. xxviii. p. 39; 

 J>^rd. B. Ind. iii. p. 713; 8tr. F. ii. 432; iv. 20; vii. 18; Murray, 

 Hdbk,, Zool., 8fc., Sind, p. 222. Porphyrio neglectus, Schleg. Mus. 

 Pars. B, p. 63. {Kaim, Sind.) — The Purple Coot. 



Occiput and nape, lores, and round the eyes greyish clouded with 

 purple ; cheeks, chin and throat the same, but with more of a purple 

 tinge ; neck in front and breast pale bluish ; lower breast, abdomen, 

 flanks, vent and thigh-coverts dark purplish blue ; under tail-coverts 

 white; back of neck, back, rump and upper tail-coverts purplish blue ; 

 scapulars^ wing-coverts and outer webs of primaries pale greenish 

 blue, the inner webs of primaries, secondaries and tertials dark browu 

 or black ; tail black, the feathers on the outer web edged with bluish. 



