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MOOR-HEN. 121 



ponds. When the bird is in good condition, the flesh is 

 well flavoured. 



The Moor-hen is rare in Denmark and Sweden, but is 

 said by Pennant to inhabit Russia and part of Siberia. 

 It is very common in Germany, Holland, France, Spain, 

 Provence, and Italy. Dr. Heineken includes it among 

 the Birds of Madeira ; Mr. Joseph Clarke mentioned to 

 me having seen skins from Africa ; this species was seen 

 by H. M. Drummond Esq., at Biserta in the spring of the 

 present year, 1845, and Dr. Andrew Smith brought speci- 

 mens from so far south as the vicinity of the Cape. It is 

 found at Corfu, Malta, and Crete from May till Sep- 

 tember. Mr. Strickland saw this bird at Smyrna in 

 winter : it has been found at Trebizond, and in the coun- 

 tries between the Black and the Caspian Seas. 



It is found at the Mauritius, in Nepal, Calcutta, and 

 China. 



The male has the beak yellowish green ; the base of it, 

 and the naked patch on the forehead, red ; irides reddish 

 hazel ; the back, wings, rump, and tail, rich dark olive- 

 brown ; head, neck, breast, and sides, uniform dark slate- 

 grey ; outside of the thighs and the flanks streaked with 

 white ; belly and vent greyish white ; under tail-coverts 

 white ; above the tarsal joint a garter of red ; legs and 

 toes green ; the claws dark brown. 



Mr. Gould mentions that he has seen females that were 

 more vividly coloured than males. 



The length of the Moor-hen is about thirteen inches. 

 From the carpal joint to the end of the wing six inches 

 and three-quarters. 



The young are at first covered with black hairy down. 

 Their after-plumage is described by Mr. Selby as white 

 on the throat ; front and cheeks a mixture of brown and 



