HELIOENIS. 331 



are easily recognized as those of a diving Kail. The body is plumper than in the typical 

 Rallidse, and the toes with their broad and scalloped webs are very different from those 

 of the Rails, in which they are long and slender. Heliornis, moreover, has peculiarly 

 coloured toes, these being regularly barred with black and yellow. This character 

 alone, combined with the Ralline bill and the Grebe-like body, serves to distinguish 

 the American Fin-foot at a glance. Many other marks of distinction, chiefly osteo- 

 logical, suggest an alliance with the Grebes. 



Only one species of Heliornis is known, viz. H. fulica, which is found in Central 

 and South America. 



1. Heliornis Mica. 



Colymbus fulica, Bodd. Tabl. PI. Enl. p. 54 (1783) \ 



Heliornis fulica, Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 2M'; P. Z. S. 1864, p. 373'; 1868, p. 469*; 1870, 



p. 838'; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 302°; Richm, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xvi. p. 530'; 



Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxiii. p. 233 ^ 

 Plotus surinamensis, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 581 '. 

 Heliornis surinamensis, Sumichr. La Nat. v. p. 229^°. 



Brunneus, vix olivascens ; tectricibus alarum dorso concoloribus, uropygio et supracaudalibus paullo rufes- 

 centioribus ; primariis brunneis ; reetricibus rigidis, nigris, albo terminatis ; pileo et nucha nitide 

 chalybeo-nigris ; linea lata superciliari alba ad latera nuchsB producta ; loris et gutture toto pure albis ; 

 regione parotica aurantiaco-rubra ad fasciam longitudinalem albam ad latera coUi positam producta, 

 int'erius fascia lata chalybeo-nigra marginata ; corpore reliquo subtus sordide albo, praepectore et corporis 

 lateribus brunnescentibus, crisso saturatiore brunneo ; subcaudalibus nigrieantibus ; subalaribus cineras- 

 centibus, majoribus et axillaribus rufesceati-brunneis : rostro rubro, culmine nigro notato ; mandibula 

 alba, basin versus flavicante ; pedibus flavis, nigro transfasciatis ; iride grisescenti-brunnea. Long, tota 

 circa 10-0, alse 5-7, caudse 3'0, culm. 1-2, tarsi 0-8. (Descr. feminse adultae ex Santana Mixtan. Mus. 

 nostr.) 



Hob. Mexico, Eio Coatzacoalcos {Sumichr ast ^'^) ; British Hondueas, Belize River 

 {0. S.), Belize, Rio Makal {Blancaneaux ^) ; Guatemala^, Santana Mixtan 2, 

 Chiapam ^ {0. S.) ; Honduras, San Pedro {Whitely^) ; Nicaragua, Rio San Juan, 

 Rio Escondido {Richmond'^); Costa Rica (Endres^), Rio Frio {Richmond'^); 

 Panama, Lion Hill {M'Leannan * ^). — Colombia ^ ; Ecuador ^ ; Venezuela ^ ; 

 Guiana ^ ; Amazons ^ ; Brazil ^. 



S. fulica appears to be locally distributed throughout Central America, and is 

 apparently more plentiful in the southern part of its range. The only Mexican locality 

 recorded for the species is the Coatzacoalcos River, where it was obtained by 

 Sumichrast. In Guatemala Salvin found the species inhabiting the submerged 

 swamps on the Pacific coast. 



Like our Moor-hen, it has the habit, when pursued, of sinking its body below the 

 surface of the water with the head only exposed, but as the bird always faces the object 

 in pursuit, its white breast is readily seen, even when under water ''. Nothing has 

 been recorded of the nest and eggs, but the young are said to be hatched naked. 



42* 



