MASON AND LEFROY. 253 



Like other Rails it feeds on various kinds of vegetable food 

 and on insects. F. I. IV, 176. 



1403. Gallicrex cinerea. Kora or Water-cock. It feeds on 

 rice and other grains, on shoots of various water plants, and also 

 on small mollusca and insects. Jerd. B. I. Ill, 717. Its food is 

 mainly vegetable. F. I. 3, 178. 



Porphyrio cause serious damage to potato, rice, and con - 

 crops. E. B. C. N. H., 245. 



1404. P. poliocephalus. Purple Moorhen. It feeds chiefly 

 on seeds and vegetable matter, committing great havoc on the 

 rice fields. Jerd. B. I. Ill, 714. Its food is mainly vegetable and 

 it commits great havoc in rice fields by cutting down the growing 

 rice. F. I. IV, 180. Damages paddy. B. N. H. S. J. XIV, 

 764. 



1405. Fulica atra. Coot. The Coot feeds chiefly on vege- 

 table matter, seeds and shoots of aquatic plants. Jerd. B. I. Ill, 

 716. The food consists of water plants, insects, mollusca, etc. 

 F. I. IV, 181. 



Heliornithidce.Fmioots. The food is in all cases of small 

 fish, crustaceans, insects and seeds. E. B. C. N. H., 267. 



1406. Heliopais personata. Masked Finfoot. The food 

 consists of mollusca and insects, probably of vegetable substances 

 also. F. I. IV, 183. 



Rallidce. Of the Rails two species occur in the plains. The 

 Crakes (Porzana) are all winter visitors to the plains, while Amau- 

 rorms, the Coots and Moorhens are nearly all residents. The 

 whole group are marsh birds, the Moorhens and Cools sperdirg 

 much of their time on the water. None are really beneficial, and 

 in one or two cases considerable damage is done to paddy. 



The Heliornithidoe are represented by one species which is 

 local and rare. 



