v RALLIDAE 249 
palmeri of Laysan, an interesting little flightless form with a soft 
chirping note, which the first discoverer caught with a hand-net, 
makes its nest under grass-tussocks. Closely allied to Porzana 
is Creciscus, a genus of a dozen species ranging from the United 
States to the Galapagos, Chili, and Paraguay; two at least of 
them being remarkable for building a spherical nest with a side 
entrance in coarse herbage or low bushes, while one is said to 
make a sort of ladder to reach a platform before its porch.’ Lim- 
nocorax niger of the Ethiopian Region is a glossy black bird 
with red feet and greenish bill, which walks upon the leaves of 
water-liles and such plants, like a Jacana. 
Amaurornis, inhabiting the Oriental Region and extending to 
New Britain, links the foregoing genera to the Gallinules. A. 
phoenicura is a dark greyish bird with white under parts and 
chestnut flanks, the other three species being duller. 
Tribonyx mortiert, the “Native Hen” of Victoria, South 
Austraha, and Tasmania, and 7. ventralis of considerably wider 
range, are respectively ruddy- and olive-brown forms, with blackish 
tail and vent, slaty lower surface, and white flank-marks. They 
appear at times in flocks, which arrive and depart with equal 
suddenness, destroy the settlers’ crops, strut about lke fowls, and 
in many respects resemble Moor-Hens in habits, nests, and eggs. 
The legs are unusually powerful. 
Gallinula extends over the greater part of both hemispheres, 
and is represented in Europe, Asia, and Africa by our common 
Moor-Hen (4. chloropus), dark olive-brown above and grey below, 
with white lower tail-coverts, white flank-stripes, red frontal plate, 
and scarlet garter on the tibia. G. galeata of most of the New 
World differs in the posteriorly truncated shield, but G.sandvicensis 
of the Sandwich Islands is barely separable. The smaller African 
G. angulata, G. tenebrosa of Australia and New Guinea, and G. 
Srontata of the two last-named countries, the Moluceas and Borneo, 
complete the group; unless G. pyrrhorhoa of Madagascar and G. 
dionysiana of St. Denys be accounted distinct from G. chloropus. 
The flightless G. (Porphyriornis) nesiotis of Tristan da Cunha 
and G. comert of Gough Island have already been mentioned. 
Gallicrex cinerea, the “ Water-Cock ” of the Indian Region, which 
reaches Japan, is dull black, with lighter edges to the feathers 
above, a yellow and red bill, and red frontal shield. A pinkish 
1 See Salmon, P.Z.S. 1879, p. 546, and cf. Durnford, Zbis, 1877, p. 193; 1878, p. 65. 
