THE GAME-BIRDS AND RAILS 



413 



Photo by Scholastic Phot*. Co.] 



WEKA-RAIL 



The ivings t though fairly large, are useless for flight 



have referred. It is about as 



large as a pheasant, but lacks 



its splendour, being soberly 



clad in brown and black. Un- 

 like its relative, it breeds in 



a burrow, which it digs for 



itself by the aid of its bill. 



The name " weka " was given 



it by the Maoris. 



Th e COMMON WATER- 

 HEN, or MOOR-HEX, is one of 



the most familiar birds of the 



London parks. Although fre- 

 quent enough to be seen 



upon streams and broads, 



it is, nevertheless, shy and 



wary ; but in the sanctuary of 



the public parks all reserve is 



thrown off. The water-hen, 



like its allies, is an expert 



swimmer, in spite of the fact 



that the toes are not webbed ; 



on the contrary, they are very 



long and slender. When alarmed, these birds will often submerge the body till only the 



beak projects above water. 



All the members of this group are easily recognised by the bare patch of skin extending 



from the beak on to the top of the head. In the COOTS this is white ; in the WATER-HENS 



and GALLIXULES it is red. The coots and water-hens are clad in sober colours, grey or black ; 



but the gallinules are gorgeously clad in purple, shaded with dark green, olive-brown, and black. 



MANTELL'S GALLINULE of 

 New Zealand is probably now 

 extinct, the last bird having 

 been killed in 1898. 



THE FIX-FEET 



These are little-known 

 birds, found in Africa, South* 

 America, South-east Asia, and 

 Sumatra. They are closely 

 related to the coots, but differ 

 therefrom in many important 

 particulars. Like the coots, 

 they are river-haunting birds, 

 and have broad flaps of 

 skin fringing the toes, which 

 serve the purpose of a 

 web; but they have much 



longer necks and tails than 

 [*.,! the coots and water . hens . 



WATER-RAIL Not much is known about 



Thit if a common British bird, uldom icin, an account of iti retiring habiu them. 



