GRALLATORES. 413 



great sagacity in protecting their young, as the latter do in obey 

 ing the monitory signals of their watchful parents. The young 

 have their legs and feet of their full size even while the feathers 

 are only beginning to appear, showing how the organs of flight 

 are subordinate to those of walking and swimming. The female 

 has, contrary to the usual rule, a richer plumage than the male. 

 The pike is the chief enemy of the Water-hens, and destroys 

 many by darting at them from under the cover of water-lilies or 

 other plants. 



Other species are (1) the SALT WATER MEADOW HEN, RaUus 

 crepitans, fourteen inches long, sometimes called the Clapper 

 Rail, or Mud Hen, which is seen in New York the last of April, 

 leaves for the South in October, and during the season is very 

 abundant. It lays from eight to fifteen whitish eggs with reddish 

 spots, which are highly valued and much sought for ; (2) the FRESH 

 WATER MEADOW HEN, or Great Red-Breasted Rail, R. elegans, 

 a rare species eighteen inches in length ; (3) the MUD HEN, or Vir 

 ginia Rail, R. Virginianus, (Plate X. fig. 8b.) length ten inches; 

 (4) the SORA RAIL, Ortygometra, (Gr. migrating with the quails,) 

 Carolina, the same as the English Rail, or Coot, O. krex, (Gr. 

 krex, a name derived from its cry,) and the species of the South 

 ern States ; numerous in New Jersey, and ranging to the 62o N. 

 L. ; length nine inches ; (5) the NEW YORK RAIL, O. Noveboracen- 

 sis ; length five and one-half inches ; a shy bird, and not seen 

 in flocks like the preceding species ; feeding on seeds and aquatic 

 insects; breeding extensively throughout the United States; (6) 

 the FLORIDA GALLINULE, Gallinula galeata, (Lat. helmeted,) four 

 teen inches in length, closely allied to the European species, G. 

 chloropus, (referred to above,) and ranging from Mexico to Mas 

 sachusetts. 



SUB-FAMILY. FLAMINGOES. 

 Phoenicoptin&i (Gr. (poivixdnTegog, phoinikopteros, red-winged.) 



These birds are included in one genus, P/wenicopterus. Their 

 proper position has been a matter of considerable doubt. Swain- 

 son places them with the Ducks, among the Swimmers, though 

 he remarks : &quot; The Flamingo, which has the longest legs in the 

 Natatorial order, is so good a walker that it only swims occa 

 sionally.&quot; We give them a place among the &quot;Grallatores, to 

 which order they have more commonly been assigned, but im 

 mediately before the Swimmers. The genus Plwenicopterus has 

 the bill strong, higher than it is large, toothed and conical to 

 wards the point ; the upper mandible is suddenly bent, curved 



