Report of a Mission to Guam. 31 



latter, which is not at all the case, as the specimen I secured of 

 P. cincrciis was a fully adult female, with eggs almost ready for 

 laying. These birds are quite rare, and the only specimen I secured 

 was a female which had been snared by some native boys in a sweet 

 potato patch near the Agaiia river. General color above olive 

 brown ; on top of head the middle of feathers black, with the edges 

 olive brown ; a slight intermingling of ash gray showing on the 

 sides of the crown ; back of neck olivaceous green ; feathers of 

 back with broad black centres and edges of light buffy brown ; 

 lores and a small spot at base of gonys black ; cheeks, sides of neck, 

 and under neck ash gray merging into white on the chin ; a narrow 

 white superciliary stripe which broadens to the base of the upper 

 mandible ; a white stripe on the upper edge of cheek extending 

 from chin to ear coverts ; cheeks, ear coverts, sides of throat, fore 

 neck, breast, and sides of body ash gray ; flanks a buffy brown 

 belly white ; under tail coverts buff ; upper tail coverts dusky 

 under wing coverts and under side of quills ash ; axillaries dusky 

 bastard wing, primar}- coverts, and quills a light brown ; ash 

 below ; first primary with outer web whitish ; feet yellowish with 

 tint of greenish ; eye carmine ; bill dusky above, lighter below, 

 with a tint of greenish yellow on the tip of both mandibles. lycngth 

 6.50, wing 3.60, extent of wing 11, tarsus 1.30, culmen .75, its 

 depth at nostrils .25, mid-toe and claw 1.83. Hab. Guam. 



Genus GAI,I,INUI,A Brisson. 

 31. Gallinula chloropus Lath. Pulatel. Gallinule. 



The Water Hen or Moor Hen, Albin, Xat. mst. B., 1738. II., p. 66, pi. 72. 

 Fulira ctiloropiis, Linn., Sy.st. Nar., 1766, I., p. 25S. 



Gallinula chloropui,. Lath., Ind. Orn., II., p. 773; Steere, List of Mainm. and B. Thilip., i 136, 

 p. 25S ; Hartert, Nov. Zool., V., p. 62. 



This bird is abundant in the marshy grounds and taro patches 

 all over the island ; it is highly prized by the natives for food. 

 General color a bluish slate, with mantle, rump, wing coverts and 

 upper tail coverts a beautiful olive brown ; scapulars like the 

 mantle ; primary and secondary quills blackish brown ; outer pri- 

 mary and bastard wing feathers externally edged with white ; tail 

 feathers blackish ; crown and face blackish with a slight blueish 

 tint, which fades into a lighter slaty blue on the neck and fore 

 breast, and extends over the entire under surface of the body; pos- 

 terior part of belly with a still lighter grayish tint, while in .some 

 specimens this part is almost pvire white (immaturity). A few 

 white feathers on the sides and flanks ; under tail coverts white, 

 with the feathers of the vent and the long median tail coverts black ; 

 frontal shield and two-thirds of the bill a deep lake red, anterior 

 third a bright greenish 3-ellow ; tarsus lemon yellow ; garter of rich 

 lake red followed by a band of lemon yellow just above the knee ; 

 joint of the tarsus greenish ; toes dusky with a slight tint of yel- 

 lowish ; iris reddish. No. 9595, an immature male, has the feathers 



