590 MOOR-HEN 
bright in the spring of the year, and a red garter on the tibia of 
the male render him very showy. Though often frequenting the 
neighbourhood of man, the Moor-hen seems unable to overcome the 
inherent stealthy habits of the Rallidx, and hastens to hide itself 
on the least alarm ; but under exceptional circumstances it may be 
induced to feed, yet always suspiciously, with tame ducks and 
poultry. It appears to take wing with difficulty, and may be 
often caught by an active dog; but, in reality, it is capable of 
sustained flight, its longer excursions being chiefly performed by 
night, when the peculiar call-note it utters is frequently heard as 
the bird, itself"invisible in the darkness, passes overhead. The 
nest is a mass of flags, reeds, or other aquatic plants, often arranged 
with much neatness, almost always near the water’s edge, where a 
clump of rushes is generally chosen; but should a mill-dam, sluice- 
gate, or boat-house afford a favourable site, advantage will be 
taken of it, and not unfrequently the bough of a tree at some 
height from the ground will furnish the place fora cradle. The 
eggs, from seven to eleven in number, resemble those of the Coor. 
but are smaller, lighter, and brighter in colour, with spots or 
blotches of reddish-brown. In winter, when the inland waters are 
frozen, the majority of Moor-hens betake themselves to the tidal 
rivers, and many must leave the country entirely, though a few 
seem always able to maintain their existence however hard be the 
frost. ‘The common Moor-hen is widely spread throughout the 
Old World, being found also at the Cape of Good Hope, in India, 
and in Japan. In America it is represented by a very closely- 
allied form, G. galeata, so called from its rather larger frontal helm, 
and in Australia by another, G. tenebrosa, which generally wants 
the white flank-markings. Both closely resemble G. chloropus in 
general habits, as does also the G. pyrrhorrhoa of Madagascar, which 
has the lower tail-coverts buff instead of white. Celebes and 
Amboyna possess a smaller cognate species, G. hematopus, with red 
legs ; tropical Africa has the smallest of all, G. angulata; and some 
more that have been recognized as distinct are also found in other 
more or less isolated localities. One of the most remarkable of 
these is G. nesiotis, the “Island Hen” of Tristan da Cunha (Proc. 
Zool. Soc. 1861, p. 260, pl. xxx.), which has wholly lost the power 
of flight concomitantly with the shortening of its wings and a 
considerable modification of its external apparatus, as well as a 
strengthening of its pelvic arch and legs.‘ The same is to be 
said of the ‘Mountain Cock” of Gough Island, the Porphyriornis 
comert of Mr. Allen (Bull. Am. Mus. N. H. iv. pp. 57, 58), who 
1 A somewhat intermediate form seems to be presented by the Moor-hen of 
the Island of St. Denys, to the north of Seychelles (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1867, p. 1036 ; 
Trans. Norf. & Norw. Nat. Soc. iv. p. 552, note), hitherto undescribed, and 
accordingly now named by me Gadlinula dionysiana. 
