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PARRIDiE - THE JACANAS — PARRA. 



177 



faint purple gloss, brightest or most rufescent on tlie wings, moiu pnri)lish on the back, rump, 

 ami upper tail-ooverts, and of a rich ilark purplisli-niaroon sliadu on the Invast and sides ; anal 

 re!,'ion, tibia', and crissuni duller and more grayi.sh. Reini;,'es (except the terliuls) ])ale yelliiwisb 

 p(M-gieen, bordered terminally with dull dusky, this border very narr(j\v, and stiictly terminal on 

 tlie secondaries, but broader, and involving more or less of both edges of iheiiuills on the jirimaries, 

 where it increases in extent to the outer (piill, which has the entire outer wei) bhickisli ; alulie and 

 primary coverts dull blackish. Tail-feathers uniform rich chestnut. " Iris dark brown ; bill, ahir 

 spurs, and frontal leaf, bright yellow ; upper base of bill bluish white, the space between it and 

 till' nasal leaf bright carmine ; feet greenish." * 



YuuiKj: Frontal leaf rudimentary. Pileum grayish brown, bordered on each side by a wide 

 and conspicuous superciliary stripe of bufl'y white, extending to the occiput ; below this stripe, 

 another narrower one of black or dusky, i)eginning at the posterior angle of the eye and extending 

 along the upper edge of the uiiriculars to the nape, which is also of this color ; remainder of the 

 head, witli the entire lower parts, except the sides, continuous buffy white, more strongly tinged 

 with butf across the jugulum. Upper parts in general (except the remiges) light grayish brown, 

 the feathers bordered terminally with rusty butf in the younger stage, but uniform in older indi- 

 viduals ; rump more or less tinged with chestnut. Sides and lining of the wing dusky bhick, but 

 in older examples more or less tinged with chestnut. Remiges as in the adult ; rectrices grayish 

 brown. 



The downy young is unknown, oi' at least I have been unable to find any description. 



In the considerable series of spuciniens of this species contained in the collection of the National 

 JIuseum, notable variations in size and jiropoitions occur among specimens of the same age and 

 sex, but apparently without regard to locality. Cuban specimens do not dift'er in the least, so lar 

 as 1 can see, from Mexican and Central American examples. 



The present species of Jaoaua was met with by Dr. James C. Merrill near Fort 

 Brown, in Southeastern Texas, early in August, 187(3. He saw it on two occa- 

 sions, on the lirst of which he had not the means of procuring a specimen, and on the 

 second was unable to obtain the bird lie had shot. Very little is known as to the 

 manners and habits of this peculiar family. In its characteristics it seems to com- 

 bine very many of the characteristics of the Rails and the Plovers ; and it may be 

 that its manner of life also partakes of the habits of the two forms so distinct from 

 catdi other. This species is a common bird of Mexico, probably of a small portion of 

 Xorthern South America, Central America to Panama, and Cuba, and perhaps other 

 West India Islands. 



This species was taken by Sumichrast in Southwestern Mexico, at Santa Efigenia 

 and Zonatepec, in March and April. A set of four eggs of this species, from Cuba, 

 measure 1.22 by .08; 1.20 by 1.00; 1.24 by 1.00; 1.15 by .94. They are of a 

 rounded oval shape, have a ground color of bright drab, and are strikingly marbled 

 over the entire surface with an intersecting net-work of black or very dark-brown 

 waving stripes, blotches, and lines. These markings curve and wind in various ways, 

 always in rounded, never in angular, turns, and the eggs present a very peculiar, un- 

 mistakable, and characteristic appearance. 



' Smnichrast, US., fide Lawr., Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 4, 1876, p. 50. 



vol.. r. 



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