HELIORNITHIDjE. 181 



much covered with vegetation. It is a resident and breeds in 

 many parts of India, but in some localities it is merely a cold- 

 season visitor. 



Habits, $c. The Coot resembles a Duck rather than a Rail in 

 many of its habits, it swims and dives well, and although it rises 

 with difficulty from the water, flapping along the surface with 

 wings and feet for many yards, it flies strongly and well, when 

 once on the wing ; but though often occurring in great numbers, it 

 never keeps in flocks as Ducks do. It is a noisy bird, especially 

 in the breeding- season. Its food consists of water-plants, insects, 

 mollusca, &c. The breeding-season in the Himalayas and Kashmir 

 is May and June, in the plains of Northern India July and 

 August. The nest is a huge mass of green rushes and weed, 

 sometimes in shallow water, sometimes floating, amongst reeds ; 

 the eggs, 7 to 10 or even 12 in number, are grey or pale brown, 

 minutely speckled with black, with a few larger purplish-black 

 spots, and measure about 1-98 by 1*4. 



Family HELIOKNITHID.E. 



This is a very small family, consisting of 3 genera, each con- 

 taining one or two species only, and inhabiting the tropical parts 

 of America, Africa, and South-eastern Asia, one genus in each. 

 All are externally much like Rails; and the lobed membrane oil 

 each side of the toes, on account of which the name of Finfoot 

 was applied by Latham to ihe only form with \\hich he was 

 acquainted, is very similar to that found in the Coots. 



In the Pinfeet the sternum is more massive than in the Rails, 

 and is broader behind, with a shallow notch on each side. There 

 is no aftershaft, but the wing is quincubital, the 5th secondary 

 being present (Seebohm says that it is wanting in Heliornis, but 

 present in Podica}. There are no bare tracts on the neck. Rec- 

 trices 18. The deep flexor tendons are somewhat peculiar; the 

 flexor loncjus hallucis gives off a slip to supply the hallux, and is 

 then divided into three, each part uniting with a similar branch of 

 the trih'd ft. perforans diyitorum in order to supply one of the 

 other three digits. It is manifest that this is merely a modifica- 

 tion of the ordinary Galline arrangement *. 



Very little is known of the food, which probably is similar to 

 that of Rails. The eggs have not been described, but the young 

 of Heliornis are said to be two in number and to be hatched naked 

 and helpless. 



* The anatomy of Podica is described by Beddard (P. Z. S. 1890, p. 425), 

 and that of Heliornis by the same author (Ibis, 181KJ, p. 30). 



