PURPLE GALLINULE — FLORIDA GALLINULE. 123 



Subfamily GALLINULIN^. 



Genus IONORKIS Reichenbach. 



lONORNIS MARTINICA (Linn.). 



85. Purple Gallinule. (218) 



Head, neck and nnder parts beautiful purplish-blue, blackening on the belly, 

 the crissum white; above olivaceous-gi-een, the cervix and wing coverts tinted 

 with blue; frontal shield blue; bill red, tipped with yellow; legs yellowish. 

 YoiuKj: — With the head, neck and lower back lirownish, the lander parts mostlj- 

 white, mixed with ochi-ey. Length, 10-12; wing, Gi-T ; tail, '2h-'i; bill from 

 gape, about \\ ; tarsus, about 2\ ; middle-toe and claw, about 3. 



Hab. — South Atlantic and Gulf .States, north casually to New England 

 (Maine, Nova Scotia) jind Ontario. 



Nest, built among rushes over the water; the taller rushes are V>ent down and 

 wo\'en together as a sujiport. 



Eggs, eight or nine, cream color, finely dotted with chestnut-brown and 

 uml)er. 



In April, 1892, I received a letter from Pickering, describing a 

 bird which had recently been shot by Mr. James Cowan, at the 

 mouth of the Rouge in that township, and asking me to identify it. 

 The description was so perfectly correct that I had no difficulty in 

 deciding it to -be the Purple Gallinule, though I had not before heard 

 of its occurrence in Ontario, and I replied to that effect. 



I have since learned that the specimen is now mounted and located 

 somewhere in Toronto. 



This beautiful Gallinule is a resident of the 8outh Atlantic and 

 Gulf States, but occasionally strays as far n(jrth as Ohio, Wisconsin, 

 Maine and New Yoi'k. 



It is a very handsome bird, whose presence in our marshes would 

 add to their interest, but we are too far north to expect it, save as a 

 A-erv rare visitor. 



Genus GALLINULA Brisson. 

 GALLINULA GALEATA (Light.). 



86. Florida Gallinule. (219) 



Head, neck and under parts grayish-black, darkest on the former, paler or 

 "whitening on the belly ; back, Ijrownish-olive ; wings and tail dusky ; crissum 

 edge of wing, and stripes on the flank, white; bill, frontal plate, and ring 

 around tibial red, the former tipped with yellow; tarsi and toes, greenish; 12-15 

 long; wing, Qh-lh; tail, Si; gape of bill, about \\; tarsus, about 2. 



