I 



716 Birds of Celebes: Rallidae. 



June 1895: Schwarzc). 6 — 9 or 10 in number (Dresser IX). Kutter described 

 Grabowsky's specimens of the eggs from S. E. Borneo as similar to those of the 

 typiccd G. chlompus, but, apparently, rather smaller on an average; size 38.6 X 29.2 

 to 48.3 X 32.1 mm; mean of 20 examples 42.5 X 30.4 mm (b 6). 



Nest. Hume (17) remarks that the "nest varies much in size and situation. Sometimes there 

 is no nest at all, only a quantity of rush and rice bent down in situ to form a plat- 

 form to support the eggs. Sometimes it is built up in the water hke a Coot's. Often 

 it is in some tuft or tussock of grass in a swamp, ditch or pond. Occasionally it is 

 wedged up several inches above the water in some tamarisk or babool bush growing 

 in a lake or jheel." In Europe, when built in rushes, the tops are often bent over 

 the nest to form a screen; or a somewhat flat nest may be found several feet above 

 the water in a bush. Dresser mentions a case of the bird building about 20 feet 

 from the ground in a spruce fir. 



Distribution. Europe up to about 63° N. in Scandinavia, W. Russia to about 60°, E. Russia 

 to about TiO"; Africa, Madagascar, Mascarene Islands, Mauritius, Boui'bon {G.'pyrrhorhoay, 

 Asia, excep tthe North. India (Hume, etc. i7); Ceylon (LeggeiO); Burmah (Oates 

 12)\ Tenasserim (Davison (9); China (David, Swinhoe, etc. 5, 20)\ S. E. Siberia 

 (Dybowski and Godl. 19); Japan (Blackiston, etc. 13, 16); Loochoo Is. (Perry 13, 

 16); Formosa (Swinhoe 5, 20); Philippines — Luzon, Cebu, Leyte, Guimaras, Panay, 

 Mindoro, Mindanao (Cuming 3, Meyer 4, Everett 6, 7, Steere 15, Bourns 

 & Worcester 22); S. and S. E. Borneo (Croockewit 5, Grabowsky b 6, b 8); 

 Sumatra (Raffles b 2, 20); Java (Horsfield b 1, Vorderman 11); Celebes — Ma- 

 cassar (Wallace b 3, Beccari b 5), Bulekomba near Macassar (Everett c 1), Manado 

 (British Mus. 20). 



The Common Moor-hen has to be included in the Celebes list in virtue 

 of two specimens from Macassar in the British Museum obtained by Wallace, 

 two from the same locality collected by Beccari, UO"" August, 1874, recorded by 

 Salvadori, one recently obtained by Everett at Bulekomba (cl), and three 

 further specimens in the British Museum. One of the last, a young bird without 

 the collector's name, is indicated as having come from Manado, and is as 

 yet the only proof of the occurrence of the species in the North of the island. 

 On Lake Bangkau. S. E. Borneo, Grabowsky found it a plentiful species. In 

 Java Vorderman, having obtained it in all seasons, considers it a resident species. 

 In many countries the Moor-hen is known as a migrant, complete or y)artial; in 

 other quarters, such as Gilgit and Heligoland, it is found only as a bird of 

 passage. Styan holds it to be a summer visitant to the Lower Yangtse; possibly 

 the birds do not proceed further south in winter than South China, where, 

 according to Abbe David the species is resident. In the' Philippines it is 

 probably stationary, since it has been recorded by W aid en and Steere from 

 Luzon and Leyte in July, as well as from the first-named and other islands in 

 winter, or less decidedly summer months. In South Celebes it will probably be 

 found to be a resident bird , and from analogy with other species it is most 

 likely that it reached this spot from Java or S. E. Borneo; the single specimen 

 recorded from the Northern Peninsula may on the other hand have been rather 

 a winter visitor from the north. 



