PALAMEDEID^. 335 



gonys short, and sometimes angulated ; the nostrils lateral, 

 generally placed near the middle of the IdiII, and longitudinal ; 

 the wings long, and generally armed at the shoulder with an 

 acute spine, or blunt tubercle ; the tail generally short, and 

 slightly rounded ; the tarsi long and slender ; the toes very 

 long, slender, and furnished with long and straight, or short, 

 and slightly curved claws ; the hind toe long, furnished with 

 a more or less loog and acute claw. 



The Sub-Family, PARRIN^as, or Jacanas, 



have the bill lengthened, slender, with the culmen straight 

 at the base, and vaulted at the tip, which is entire ; the nasal 

 groove long and narrow, and the opening of the nostrils, 

 placed in the middle of the bill, small and oval ; the wings 

 more or less long and pointed ; the tail generally short ; the 

 tarsi long and slender ; the toes very long, slender, and 

 armed with long slender claws, especially the hind toe. 



• Genus PARRA, Linnaeus. 

 Bill as long as the head, straight, slender, with the culmen 

 straight from the base, and slightly vaulted and curved to 

 the tip, which is entire ; the sides compressed ; the lateral 

 margins straight, and the gonys short, ascending, and angu- 

 lated ; the nostrils small, oval, medial, and placed in a 

 lengthened groove ; wings long, with the iiist quill rather 

 shorter than the second, the third the longest ; tail very 

 short, and partly concealed by the coverts ; tarsi as long as 

 the middle toe, without the claw, rather slender, and covered 

 with transverse scales ; toes very long and slender, the outer 

 rather longer than the inner toe; the hind toe long; the 

 claws long, especially that of the hind toe, which is extremely 

 acute ; the base of bill, and more or less of the head, denuded, 

 and furnished with caruncles. 



626. Parra Africana, Gmel, Lath., Gen. Syn., V. 

 PI. 17 ; Cuv., Vol. 3, p. 397 ; Metopidius Africanus, 

 Wagler. 



General colour, rich cinnamon-brown ; back of head and 

 neck black, tinged with green ; chin and front of neck 

 white, darkening into shining-yellow on the chest, which is 

 divided from the cinnamon of the body by a narrow dark line ; 

 front of head bare, which together with the basal hnlf of 

 the bill is blue in life ; the tip is horn-coloured ; legs dark- 

 green ; claws horn- coloured. Length, 10"; wings, 5|"; 

 tail, If". 

 Tkis Jacana is decidedly rare in the colony, though I h^ve received 



