PURPLE GALLINULE. 20I 



habits, to pass the winter in the warmer parts of the Union, 

 and probably extends its journeys along all the shores of the 

 Mexican Gulf. 



The Coot is still a common bird throughout the temperate por- 

 tions of North America, and examples have been taken in Green- 

 land and Alaska. It winters in the Southern States and southward 

 through the West Indies and Central America. 



Note. — The European Coot (Fiilica atra) has been taken in 

 Greenland. 



PURPLE GALLINULE. 



lOXORNIS MARTINICA. 



Char. Back bright olive ; wings of deeper green and shaded with 

 blue; head, neck, and breast rich bluish purple; belly darker; frontal 

 shield blue; bill red, tipped with yellow; legs yellow. Length about 

 I3j^ inches. 



Nest. In a marsh ; fastened to rank grass or reeds, and hidden by 

 the stems to which it is attached, — made of dried and fresh grass and 

 reeds loosely arranged. 



^gg^- 7-12 (usually about 9) ; pale buff or creamy, spotted chiefly 

 around the larger end with reddish brown and lavender; 1.70 X 1.15. 



This very splendid but incongruous species of Gallinule is 

 in the United States a bird of passage, wintering in tropical 

 America, and passing the summer, or breeding-season, in the 

 marshes of Florida and the contiguous parts of the State of 

 Georgia, where it arrives in the latter part of April, retiring 

 south with its brood in the course of the autumn, and probably 

 wintering, according to its habits, in the swampy maritime dis- 

 tricts along the coast of the Mexican Gulf. An instance is 

 given by Mr. Ord of one of these birds being driven out to 

 sea and taking shelter on board of a vessel bound from New 

 Orleans to Philadelphia, while in the Gulf. This happened on 

 the 24th of May, and therefore could only have been a bewil- 

 dered straggler accidentally carried out to sea without any in- 

 tention of migrating ; nor is it probable that a bird of such 



