AMAUKOKNIS. 173 



Siud, nor from the Carnatic, the Malabar coast, or Ceylon. To 

 the eastward it has been obtained in the North Khasi hills, 

 but not elsewhere in Assam or Burma ; it occurs, however, in 

 China. 



Habits, $c. This is rather a Moorhen than a Rail ; it is less 

 aquatic than other Indian Crakes, and may often be seen running 

 about in the early morning searching for food insects, small 

 snails and slugs, worms and seeds on bare ground and even on 

 rocks near water. It is found as often about rivers and ponds as 

 about marshes, and it walks and swims like Gallinula. It breeds, 

 according to Barnes, twice in the monsoon, in June or July and 

 again in August and September. The nest of coarse grass 

 resembles that of a Moorhen, but is smaller. The eggs, 4 to 8 

 in number, are oval, pinkish white, with purplish and reddish- 

 brown spots and underlying faint purple blotches. They measure 

 about 1-49 by M. 



1401. Amaurornis phcenicuras. The White-breasted Water-lien. 



Gallinula phoenicurus, Penn. 2nd. Zool. p. 10, pi. ix (1769) ; Morgan, 



Ibis, 1875, p. -323 ; Newton, S. F. viii, p. 415. 

 Porzana phcenicura, Bluth, Cat. p. 284; id. Ibis, 1867, p. 171; 



Hi/me, S. F. i, p. 251 ; Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 161 ; 



Butler, S. F. vii, p. 187. 

 Gailinula phcenicura, Jerdon, B. I. iii, p. 720; Godiu.-Aust. J. A. 



S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 274 ; Aitken. S. F. i, p. 424 ; Hume, 8. F. 



ii, p. 300 ; id. N. 8f E. p. 599 ; Butler, S. F. iv, p. 21 ; v, p. 224 ; 



Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 466 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 229. 

 Erythra phcenicura, Reichenb. Natiirl. Syst. Vogel, p. xxi (1852) ; 



Gates, S. F. v, p. 165 ; Anders. Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 691 ; 



Cripps, S. F. vii, p. 306 ; Hume, Cat. no. 907 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. 



p. 786 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 87 ; Butler, ibid. p. 431 ; Reid, S. F. 



x, p. 73; Davison, ibid. p. 415; Macgregor, ibid. p. 441 ; Parker, 



Ibis, 1883, p. 195 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 368 ; Hume, S. F. xi, 



p. 328 ; Oates in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 391. 

 Erythrura phcenicura, Oaten, B. B. ii, p. 348. 

 Amaurornis phoenicura, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 612 ; 



Barnes, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. i, p. 60 ; vi, p. 138, fig. 907 ; Shar^e, 



Cat. B. M. xxiii, p. 156. 

 Amaurornis insularis (subsp.), Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxiii, p. 162. 



Dawak, Dahak, Dauk, H. ; Kinati, Oudh ; Kurahi, Sind ; Kureyn, 

 Gond ; Boli-Kadi, Tel. ; Tannin-Koli, Kanung-Koli, Tarn. (Ceylon) : 

 Kdlu-ywet, Burm. 



Coloration. Broad forehead and sides of face, including the 

 orbits and ear-coverts, chin, throat, fore neck, and breast white ; 

 upper parts generally and sides of body dark slaty grey, more or 

 less washed and concealed by olive ; rump and upper tail-coverts 

 olive-brown ; quills blackish brown ; outer margin of first primary 

 and edge of wing white ; tail dark brown ; abdomen buff in the 

 middle ; lower flanks, sides of rump, vent, and lower tail-coverts 

 pale dull chestnut. 



