304 BIRDS. PlNNATIPEDES. 



P. Jacana, Lath. Chestnut Jacana. Hind claws very long, .legs 

 greenish, bill of a deep yellow, carunculated at its base; the throat, 

 neck, and under parts black, tinted with purple ; back, upper 

 wing-coverts, and scapulars of a rich chestnut hue. 10 inches 

 long. Inhabits S. America Shaw, xii. pi. 32. 



P. cenea, Cuv. Bronzed Jacana. Plumage black, glossed with blue 

 and violet ; head and neck glossy green ; rump and tail-feathers 

 blood-red; a white spot behind the eyes; bill with the base naked. 

 Inhabits Brazil. Shaw, xii. pi. 33. 



Gen. 31. PORPHYRIO, Briss. 



Bill strong, hard, thick, conical, nearly as deep as long, and 

 shorter than the head ; the upper mandible dilated and de- 

 pressed as it approaches the cranium ; nostrils lateral, pierced 

 in the corneous mass of the bill, nearly round and pervious ; 

 legs long and stout ; toes very long in some species, the an- 

 terior quite divided, and edged with a very narrow membrane. 



This genus of birds, like the Gallinulae, reside in or near fresh waters, haunt the 

 extensive rice-fields of the south, and prefer grain to aquatic herbs, their formidable 

 bill being well adapted to remove the husks, and break the straws, while their legs, 

 and very long retractile toes, are equally suited to lay hold of the stalks of the plant, 

 and to carry the ears to their mouth. 



P. hyacinthinus, Tern. (Gallinula porphyrio, Lath. Fulica porphyrio, 

 Lin.) Purple Water Hen. Ridge of the upper mandible almost 

 identified with the skull ; the middle toe clawless, and longer 

 than the tarsus ; all the plumage blue ; the frontal plate termi- 

 nating behind the eyes. 18 inches long. Europe. Edw. pi. 87^ 

 The Greeks and Romans tamed and fostered this bird, and introduced it into 

 their palaces and temples. According to Sonnini, it abounds in Lower Egypt, ap- 

 pearing in the rice-fields in May, and the following months, and breeding in the desert. 



P. smaragnotus, Tern. Ridge of the upper mandible suddenly in- 

 flected, less elevated than the cranium ; frontal plate not sur- 

 passing the posterior margin of the eye ; middle toe clawless, and 

 nearly the length of the tarsus. 14 J inches long. Inhabits Sou- 

 thern Africa Tern. Man. 700. 



P. melanotus, Tern. Ridge of the upper mandible on a level with 

 the frontal plate, which passes beyond the posterior margin of 

 the eye ; middle toe clawless, shorter than the tarsus. Inhabits 

 New Holland Tern. Man. 701. 



ORDER XIV. PINNATIPEDES. 



Bill middle-sized and straight ; upper mandible slightly curved 

 at the tip ; legs of medium size ; tarsi slender or compressed ; 

 three toes before and one behind, with rudiments of webs 

 along the toes ; hind toe articulated interiorly on the tarsus. 



