Finfeet 



349 



and a moderately long bill. Their plumage is dense and close-set, and their 

 general appearance is described as like that of a diving Rail. It is not neces- 

 sary to enumerate the structural peculiarities. Their nests and eggs are un- 

 known, and information concerning their habits is meagre in the extreme. 



The American Finfoot (Heliornis fulica) is a uniform olive-brown above 

 and mainly white below, with the wings and tail brown, the latter edged with 

 white, and the crown glossy blue-black, with the sides of the head streaked with 

 brown and white. The bill is bright red and the toes clear yellow, crossed 

 with bands of black. They frequent shadowy and quiet rivers, and feed upon 

 fish, aquatic insects, and various seeds. They are said "to sit for hours on 



FIG. 115. Asiatic Finfoot, Heliopais personata. 



a branch overhanging the water and half submerged, but diving is only resorted 

 to in danger or when wounded." The voice when heard from a distance is said 

 to resemble the barking of a small dog. The young, reported to be two in 

 number, are said to be "hatched naked and carried about by the old bird," 

 but obviously this requires confirmation. 



Peter's Finfoot (Podica petersi] of South Africa is dark brown above, rather 

 indistinctly spotted with ochreous on the back, and has the sides of the face 

 and neck gray, and the lower parts mainly white. The upper mandible is 

 black with red margins and the lower mandible red with black margins, while 

 the legs and feet are bright red. This bird is rare and very shy and, according 

 to Ayres, "it frequents the rocky streams of the interior of the country; can 

 scarcely rise from the water, and generally flies along the surface, aiding itself 

 with its feet, which are lobed; when disturbed it hides under a bank like the 

 Moor-hen in England. It feeds on fresh-water shrimps and small fish." 



The other species of this genus are found in West Africa and the Cameroons 

 respectively. Of the Asiatic species (Heliopais personata} comparatively little 

 is known. 



