THE GALLINULE. 249 



cannot thread, or water, which he hesitates a moment ere he 

 takes. Its food is more rank than that of the crakes ; and 

 therefore, though generally fatter, its flesh is muddy in 

 flavour, and not so palatable. The flavour, and also the size 

 of the bird, differ, however, a good deal with the nature of 

 the haunt. The more upland and clear the stream, the 

 smaller and better flavoured the bird. Similar variations 

 take place in all animals, wild and tame ; and therefore size, 

 and, in the edible ones, flavour, are not fixed and definite 

 characters.* 



THE GALLINULE 



There is but one British species of gallinule, the common 

 galliniile, ( GalUnula cliloropus so called because its feet are 

 greenish,) which is also called the water-hen, the marsh-hen, 

 the moor-hen, and many other names : (in Scotland, the 

 female grous is the moor-hen.) Like the water-rail, it is 

 permanently resident, and it is much more generally distri- 

 buted, numerous, and frequently seen, than that bird. It is 

 also much larger and heavier, and it is more a bird of the 

 waters, swimming easily and from habit in search of its food, 

 while the rail appears to swim only when driven to it. 



The size of the gallinule is about that of a pigeon, and the 

 weight about a pound. The upper plnmage is dark olive 

 green, inclining to black ; the under plumage deep bluish 

 grey, with white on the under tail-coverts, the edges of the 

 wings, and some dull white on the belly and thighs. The 

 colour is dark round the base of the bill, fading a little 

 towards the hinder part, and relieved by a white spot under 



* The food of the water-rail consists of aquatic insects and their larvae, 

 aquatic shelled snails, and also the seeds and leaves of aquatic plants. 

 When moving quietly about, this bird has a habit of flirting up its tail, 

 like the water-hen. It occasionally swims, traversing brooks or pools, 

 on the margin of which it finds concealment. Tjiis species is abundant 

 in Holland, Germany, and France. M. 



