MOOR-HEN. 1 69 



Eastern birds. In Madagascar is found a representative 

 form, which has been distinguished by Professor Newton 

 under the name of G. pyrrhorrhoa, and which has a larger 

 frontal plate, yellow legs, buff under tail-coverts, and a 

 different note ; and in America a closely-allied species, G. 

 galeata, occurs throughout the temperate and tropical portions 

 of that continent. In the Hawaiian Islands a well-defined 

 species, G. sandvicensis, is found ; and a remarkable island 

 form, G. nesiotis, occurs in the Tristan d'Acunha group. 



The male has the beak yellowish ; 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 greenish -yellow ; the claws dark brown. 



Length about thirteen inches. From the carpal joint to 

 the end of the wing six inches and three-quarters. 



The female is, as a rule, rather larger, and more vividly 

 coloured than the male. 



The young are at first covered with black hairy down. 

 Their after-plumage is white on the throat ; front and 

 cheeks a mixture of brown and white ; breast and sides 

 ash-grey, tinged with brown ; the belly paler ; the flanks 

 streaked with yellowish-brown ; under tail-coverts cream- 

 yellow ; upper parts dark grey, tinged with oil-green ; beak 

 and legs dull green ; the frontal patch small, and partly 

 concealed by feathers. 



The Rev. Mr. Lubbock mentions a curious variety of the 

 Moor-hen, in which the back and wings were mottled with 

 white, and sandy-coloured specimens have been obtained in 

 Norfolk and near Nottingham. 



The vignette represents the breast-bone of the Moor-hen 

 of the natural size, in two points of view, one from the side, 

 the other as seen from below ; the latter serves to illustrate 

 the flattened form of the body which belongs to the Crakes, 

 Gallinules, and Rails. 



VOL. in. z 



