WATER-FOWL 253 



The best kno"wn Crake in South Africa, perhaps, is the 

 little Black Crake {Limnocorax niger), with red legs and a 

 greenish bill to relieve the general dull black of its plumage. 

 Length, 7f inches. It is fairly well distributed over the 

 sub-continent. 



WATER-FOWL 



The Moorhen {Gallinula chloropus) — the Eooi-bles Hoender 

 or Eooi-bles Eiet Haan of the Boers — ^is black in colour, 

 fading into a slatey shade on the under-surface. Frontal 

 shield red. Basal portion of bill red, remainder greenish- 

 yellow. 



This is a widely spread species, being also found in Europe 

 and Asia. Length, 13 inches. 



The Lesser Moorhen {Gallinula angulata) is considerably 

 smaller than the preceding species, being only 9J inches in 

 length : it has no red on the lower mandible. 



The Bang Eeed-Hen {PorpJiyrio porphyria) is olive-green 

 above ; back of the head, breast and belly purple-blue ; 

 face, throat and upper breast blue. Frontal shield red. 

 Length, 18 inches. 



This handsome bird is a denizen of the thick reed-beds 

 and arum-patches, where it lies concealed the best part of 

 the day, searching for its food, which consists of shoots of 

 plants, seeds, worms, &c., in the mornings and evenings. 

 It breeds amongst the reeds, usually placing its nest on a 

 platform of reed-stems, and laying from four to eight eggs 

 of a pale brown spotted and blotched with purplish and 

 reddish-brown. 



The Eed-knobbed Coot {Fulica cristata) is of a general 

 dark ash-colour throughout, darker (almost black) on the 



