THE STILT-WALKERS. I OS 



with murderous rancour, and are very destructive to young fledglings. On the other hand, they 

 are tenderly attached to their own progeny, both parents exerting themselves for their defence and 

 support, and evincing the greatest affection for each other. The nest is always built either among 

 or in the immediate vicinity of the water-plants that abound in their favourite resorts. The female 

 lays from four to twelve smooth-shelled and spotted eggs ; the nestlings when first hatched are clad 

 in dark-coloured down. As soon as the young are capable of exertion, they and the parent quit 

 the place of their birth and wing their way, in some instances farther south, or merely to a more 

 favourable situation, where they remain till after the moulting season. 



The GALLINULES (Porphyrio), the most beautiful of the European Gallinula, and known 

 in some countries as the Sultan's Chickens, were regarded by the ancient Greeks and Romans almost 

 as objects of religious worship, and were kept in the neighbourhood of their temples, as though under 

 the special protection of the gods. Even at the present day they are less persecuted than many 

 of their congeners, probably on account of the beauty of their plumage. The members of this group 

 are moderate-sized but powerfully built birds, distinguished by their strong, hard, thick, and very 

 deep beak, which is of about the same length as the head, and at its base expands into a broad 

 callosity, that spreads over the region of the forehead. The tarsi are long, and the feet strong, with 

 large, widely-separated toes. Their wings are of moderate length, the plumage smooth, and 

 remarkable for its rich colouring. These birds are generally to be met with in swampy localities, in 

 the vicinity of fields of corn, or in rice-fields, which as they are almost constantly under water, seem 

 to suit them as well as their favourite marshes. As regards their food, the Sultan's Chickens differ 

 in no respect from the rest of the family. During the breeding season, they are constantly prowling 

 about the ponds in search of the nests of other birds, which they plunder in the most daring 

 manner. Their thefts are by no means restricted to attacks on smaller species ; they rifle the larger 

 ones with utter recklessness, so that in any marsh frequented by the Gallinules the broken egg- 

 shells testify to their destructive habits ; they likewise often lay in wait for Sparrows after the manner 

 of a cat before a mouse-hole ; a single blow with their powerful beak at once destroys their victim, 

 which is speedily torn to pieces and eaten. Tristram mentions having seen an imprisoned bird 

 thus devour young Ducks. 



THE HYACINTHINE PORPHYRIO. 



The Hyacinthine Porphyrio {Porphyrio hyacinthinus) has the face and fore part of the neck of 

 a beautiful bright blue ; the hinder part of the head, neck, and belly and thighs are dark indigo-blue, 

 as are the breast, back, wing-covers, and quills, but these last are more vivid in their tints ; the region 

 of the vent is white ; the eye is pale red, surrounded by a narrow circle of yellow ; the beak and its 

 prolongation over the forehead are brilliant red, and the feet yellowish red. The length of this bird 

 is about eighteen inches and breadth thirty-two inches. In young birds the plumage of the back is 

 greyish blue, and the under parts speckled with white. The Hyacinthine Porphyrio occupies the 

 marshy districts of Spain and Italy, and is probably also to be found in North-western Africa. In 

 North-eastern Africa it is represented by a nearly-allied species, called by the Arabs the ,; Dickme," 

 to which we have given the name of Porphyrio chloronotus. 



This species is to be seen in numbers, which vary with the season of the year, in Sardinia, 

 Sicily, the lake district of the eastern coast of Spain, in the neighbourhood of Albufera de Valencia, 

 upon the coast of Valencia, and near Algiers. Although usually migratory in their habits, many oi 

 these birds remain throughout the winter in the vicinity of their breeding-places. In tiieir deportment 

 they remind us of our own Water-hens, but they have a prouder gait, and step with greater freedom. 

 vol. iv. — 132 



