328 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



food consists of grain, seeds, and other vegetable substances, 

 shelled mollusks, insects, &c. 



Throat, breast, and under surface dark bluish grey ; flank- 

 feathers black, with an oblong mark of white near their 

 extremities ; lower part of the abdomen and under tail-coverts 

 black ; all the upper surface brownish olive ; primaries brown, 

 the outer one margined externally with white ; tail black ; 

 irides fine orange; upper mandible beautiful pea-green, 

 becoming rather paler at the tip ; base of the lower mandible 

 light reddish orange, the tip like that of the upper ; legs and 

 feet deep brick -red. 



Total length 15 to 17 inches; bill 1^; wing 0; tail 3^; 

 tarsi 2^. 



Genus GALLINULA, Brisson. 



The true GallinulcB are very numerous, and are foimd in 

 nearly every part of the world. Australia is inhabited by a 

 species peculiarly its own, which is distributed over all the 

 southern parts of the continent. The well-known British 

 Moorhen {G. cJdoropsis) is a typical example of this form. 



Sp. 567. GALLINULA TENEBROSA, Gould. 



Sombre Gallinule. 

 Gallinula tenebrosa, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiv. p. 20. 



Gallinula tenebrosa, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. vi. pi. 73. 



This species of Gallinule inhabits the sedgy banks of rivers, 

 creeks, and water-holes. I frequently encountered it in New 

 South Wales, particularly in the neighbourhood of the Upper 

 Hunter ; and I also possess specimens collected on the banks 

 of the Murray, in South Australia. The total absence of any 

 white marks on the flanks forms a good specific character, and 

 at once distinguishes this GaUinule from most of the other 

 members of the genus. In size it considerably exceeds the 



