556 BRITISH BIRDS. 
Genus GALLINULA. 
The genus Gallinula was established by Brisson in 1760 in his ‘ Ornitho- 
logia’ (vi. p. 3), and is one of those genera which are additional to those 
of Linnzus, who associated the Waterhens with the Coots in his genus 
Fulica. The Waterhen (the Gallinula gallinula of Brisson) is the type. 
The Waterhens may be distinguished from the Coots by the absence of 
the broad scolloped membrane on the toes, and the much smaller frontal 
shield or bare space on the forehead at the base of the bill. The tail is 
very short and rounded, and consists of twelve feathers. 
This genus contains about sixteen species, which are distributed through- 
out the world, with the exception of the Arctic Region. Only one species 
is found in Europe, which is a common resident in the British Islands. 
The Waterhens frequent the borders of lakes, ponds, swamps, and 
sluggish rivers, haunting the dense growth of flags, reeds, and other 
vegetation. They are skulking birds, and when alarmed often conceal 
themselves by diving; they swim well, progressing in a jerky manner ; 
they walk about the land gracefully, and they perch in trees and bushes 
with ease. They are slow fliers, and when walking about have the 
habit of jerking their short tails. Their food consists of slugs, worms, 
_ insects, the seeds of water-plants, herbage, grain, and berries. Their 
eall-note is loud and harsh. They make bulky nests of aquatic vegetation, 
placing them amongst reeds, flags, &c., or even in the branches of trees ; 
and their eggs are numerous, of a buffish ground-colour, spotted and 
blotched with brown and grey. 
