EALLID^ GALLINULA 263 



becoming slaty on the lower surface ; edge of the wing joint, outer 

 edge of the bastard wing and of the first primary white ; flanks 

 strongly streaked with white and usually some white about the 

 centre of the abdomen ; feathers on the centre of the abdomen and 

 central tail-coverts black ; lateral ones white. 



Iris reddish, frontal shield and the basal two-thirds of the bill 

 lake-red, distal third greenish-yellow ; legs olive-green with a 

 garter just above the tarsal joint of dark lake-red. 



Length 13-0 ; wing 6-20 ; tail 2-5 ; tarsus 1-95 ; culmen with 

 frontal shield 1-65. 



Fig. 84. —Head of OalUnula chloropus. x -^i 



The female is like the male, but the white streaks on the flanks 

 are not generally so conspicuous and the frontal shield is not so 

 well developed. A young bird is much browner than the adult, 

 and there is a good deal of white about the chin and abdomen. 

 Iris light brown ; bill brown with very small frontal shield ; legs 

 greenish-yellow with a yellow garter. The nestling is clothed with 

 black down. 



Distribution. — The Moorhen is a widespread bird, ranging over 

 the greater part of Europe, Asia and Africa, from England to 

 Japan and Celebes in the one direction, and to Cape Colony 

 and Madagascar in the other. In South Africa it is a resident 

 throughout the greater part of the country wherever suitable 

 conditions exist. 



The following are localities: Cape Colony — Cape division, 

 February to December (S. A. Mus.), Swellendam and Bredasdorp, 

 November (Layard), Oudtshoorn (Victorin), Knysna, June (Marais 

 in S. A. Mus.), Grahamstown (Atmore), Port Elizabeth, common 

 (Brown), Orange Eiver (Barratt) ; Natal — Umzinto River and along 



