PORPHYIUO 713 



the vegetation is dense, and is shy and secretive. It breeds late 

 in March or in April, placing its nest, which resembles that of 

 the Coot, amongst dense aquatic vegetation, and deposits 3 to 5 

 eggs, which are warm stone-ochreous in ground-colour, marked 

 with violet-grey shell blotches, and deep brownish red surface 

 spots, and measure about 2 '8 by 1*43. 



995. GREEN-BACKED GALLINULE. 

 PORPHYRIO MADAGASCARIENSIS. 



Porpliyrio madagascarier-sis (Lath.), Ind. Orn. Suppl. p. Ixviii. (1801) ; 

 P. chloronotus, Vieill. Nouv. Diet, xxviii. p. 24 (1819) ; Brehm. 

 J. f. 0. 1853, Extra- heft, p. 103 ; Fulica porphyrio, Linn. Syst. Nat. 

 i. p. 258 (1766) ; (Sharpe), Cat. B. Br. Mtis. xxiii. p. 195 ; P. smarag- 

 notus, Temm. Man. d'Orn. ii. p. 700 (1820) ; Dresser, vii. p. 303, 

 pi. 501. 



Dikm, Digmeh, Arabic. 



d ad. (Egypt). Differs from P. cceruleus in having the back rich dark 

 bluish green instead of dark blue. Gape T7, wing 10'4, tail 4*35, 

 tarsus 3'85, middle toe with claw 4'9 inch. 



Hal. Egypt, and Africa south to the Cape, Madagascar; a 

 very rare straggler to Southern France and Italy. 



In habits it does not differ from P. cceruleus. It breeds in 

 Africa, and is said to deposit 6 to 10 eggs, which are ruddy 

 brown spotted with dark purple brown, and measure 2*2 by 1*6. 



996. INDIAN GALLINULE. 

 PORPHYRIO POLIOCEPHALUS. 



Porphyrio poliocephalus (Lath.), Ind. Orn. Suppl. p. Ixviii. (1801) ; 

 Dresser, ix. p. 333, pi. 706 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxiii. p. 197 ; 

 Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iv. p. 178 ; P. veterum, S. G. Gmel. Reise 

 Russ. iii. pi. xxi. p. 79, footnote, pi. 12 (1774) ; Radde, Orn. Cauc. 

 p. 380, pi. xxiv. xxi. figs. 3, 4 (eggs). 



Sultanka, Russ. ; Bojachana, Tartar ; Keim, Kaima, Hindu. 



ad. (India). Upper parts deep blue, the wings slightly washed with 

 greenish ; tail black, externally washed with blue ; crown ashy blue ; 

 sides of head ashy ; neck tinged with ashy grey ; under parts deep blue, 

 the breast tinged with greenish ; flanks bright blue ; under tail-coverts 

 white ; bill and frontal shield dark red ; legs and feet red, the joints of the 

 knees and toes blackish brown ; iris red. Culmen with frontal shield 2-85, 

 wing 11*0, tail 4 % 25, tarsus 4*05 inch. 



