450 RAIL-TRIBE. 
THE FINFEET. 
Family HELIORNITHIDA, 
As mentioned above, the birds representing this group are few in number, and 
belong to three different genera, one being found in Africa, a second in Central and 
South America, and the third in South-Eastern Asia and Sumatra. The Senegal 
finfoot (Podica senegalensis) 1s, as its name implies, a native of West Africa. The 
general colour above is dark brown glossed with dark green, the back and 
wings being ornamented with round ochreous spots edged with black; the 
sides of the face, neck, and throat are grey banded with white; and the rest — 
of the under-parts white tinged with fulvous and barred with black on the sides. 
Mr. Biittikofer observed these 
birds on the Junk and Du 
(Queah Rivers in Liberia, where 
they were usually met with 
solitary, more rarely in pairs, 
slowly swimming about, and 
very shy and watchful, making 
for the bank at full speed on 
the approach of a canoe, and 
hiding themselves under the 
thick foliage of the over- 
hanging shrubs. They are 
very hard to flush unless 
taken by surprise in the open, 
when they flutter hastily away, 
keeping so close to the water 
that they continually beat the 
surface with their wings and feet. When swimming, they sit very deep in the 
water, and are therefore not easily killed in that position, especially as it is 
difficult to get within shot of them, and, unlike the rails, even when wounded, 
they never attempt to escape by diving. Their general habits are much like those 
of the common coot. Speaking of the closely allied Peter’s finfoot from South 
Africa, Mr. Ayres says the birds he obtained were caught in traps set for otters. 
“They have the power of making an extraordinary noise, like the growling of a 
wild beast, which they do by drawing the air into their bodies, and foreing it 
gradually from their throats.” Both birds made this strange noise when taken 
from the traps, fighting at the same time with all their might. The young of 
the American tinfoot (HI. fulica) are said to be hatched naked and carried about 
by the old bird, but very little appears to be known at present of the nesting- 
habits of any of these birds, 


SENEGAL FINFOOT. 
W. R. OGILVIE GRANT. 
