PORPHYRIOGALLINULA 7 1 5 



more thickly at the larger end, with underlying pale purple 

 and reddish brown overlying surface specks, spots, and small 

 blotches, and measures 1*4 by 1*05. 



GALLINULA, Briss., 1766. 



998. MOORHEN. 

 GALLINULA CHLOROPUS. 



Gallinula chloropus (Linn.), Syst. Nat. i. p. 258 (1766) ; Naum. ix. 

 p. 587, Taf. 240 j Gould, B. of E. iv. pi. 342 ; id. B. of Gt. Brit. iv. 

 pi. 85 ; Dresser, vii. p. 313, pi. 503 ; Hewitson, ii. p. 378, pi. cvii. 

 fig. 1 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxiii. p. 169 ; Tacz. F. 0. Sib. 0. 

 p. 1000 ; Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iv. p. 175 ; Saunders, p. 517 ; 

 Lilford, iv. p. 141, pi. 61. 



Poule d'eau, French ; Gallinha de agua, Portug. ; Polla de 

 agua, Span. ; Gallinella d'acqua, Ital. ; Wasserhuhn, German ; 

 Waterhoentje, Dutch ; Grmibenet-Rorhdna, Dan. ; Grbnbenet- 

 Vandhone, Norweg. ; RorJwna, Swed. ; Liejukana, Finn. ; Balot- 

 naja-Kuritza, Russ. ; Jal-Murghi, Hindu. ; Ban, Jap. 



$ ad. (England). Head, neck, and fore back deep greyish slate-blue ; 

 under parts paler and greyer ; upper parts deep olivaceous brown ; quills 

 and tail dark brown ; edge of wing and margin of first quill white ; flanks 

 marked with long white stripes ; lower abdomen greyish white ; under 

 tail-coverts white with a median black tuft ; base of bill and frontal plate 

 bright red, the front of bill yellow ; legs dull green with a red garter ; iris 

 red. Culmen T34, wing 6'5, tail 2 '85, tarsus T85 inch. Sexes alike. 



Hob. Europe generally, north to Central Scandinavia, and 

 has been obtained as far north as the North Cape ; the whole 

 of Africa ; Asia, east to Japan, south throughout India and 

 Ceylon, north to Lake Baikal. 



Frequents ponds, river-banks, and marshes where the aquatic 

 vegetation is dense, and where it can find good shelter. It 

 swims and dives with ease, and on land runs swiftly. Its call 

 note is a loud kirrik crek rek rek, most often to be heard in the 

 evening. Its food consists of aquatic insects, worms, tender 

 shoots, and seeds of aquatic plants, &c. The nest is placed 

 amongst aquatic herbage, sometimes, though rarely, on a tree, 

 and is a bulky structure of dried weeds and aquatic plants, lined 

 with finer materials. The eggs, 6 to 9 or 10 in number, are 

 rusty clay-yellow with violet-grey shell-markings and reddish 

 brown surface spots and blotches, and measure about 1'63'by 



