NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BERMUDAS. 13 



December 2.2nd. — Examined a specimen of the Gallinula 

 chloropus, or Common Gallinule, or Moorhen of Audubon, 

 and Bonaparte (the Florida Gallinule of De Kay's " New 

 York Zoology "), shot by Lieutenant Abbot in the Chief 

 Justice's Pond. Length, twelve and three-quarter inches ; 

 breadth, twenty and a-half inches. Bill, colour of red 

 sealing-wax, and greenish-yellow at the tip ; membrane 

 extending from bill to the upper part of the head same 

 colour. Head and neck, black, with a bald patch under 

 each eye. Back, scapulars, and rump, a brown olive-green. 

 Tail rounded and consisting of twelve dark feathers, in- 

 clining to black. Breast and sides, cinereous, or grey ash- 

 colour — the long feathers of the latter boldly streaked 

 with white. Belly, white and mottled with the cinereous 

 colour of the sides. Thighs of same colour, speckled with 

 white. Tail coverts, white, black towards the centre — i.e., 

 the middle feathers black. Primaries and secondaries, 

 same colour as the back, but lighter on the inner webs ; 

 the outer quill feathers edged externally with white. Under 

 side of the wing a lighter shade and edged with white along 

 the upper margin. Legs, greenish ash, bare of plumage, 

 above the knee-joint, where they are shaded with vermilion 

 in the form of a band. Nails long, sharp, and of a dark 

 brown colour. Span of foot, four and a quarter inches. 

 The eyes were shot through, and consequently indistinct. 



De Kay says : " This bird has been confounded with the 

 Chloropus of Europe, to which it is closely allied." I can 

 easily imagine such to be the case, for on comparing the 

 above specimen with Berwick's description of the " Moor- 

 hen," their similarity in almost every particular is remark- 

 able. 



This bird is not uncommon in the Bermudas, where it 

 is known to breed. Originally, this bird must have found 

 its way from the American coast. It appears suddenly in 



