162 MICHIGAN BIRD LIFE. 
legs, changing to bright red close to the body, separate it at once from the 
Coot, which is also called Mud-hen, but which has a white bill and green 
legs without any red near the body. 
‘Distribution.—Temperate and Tropical America, from Canada to Brazil 
and Chili 
The Gallinule, under the name of Mud-hen, is commonly confounded 
with the Coot, which is equally or more abundant in Michigan. The 
Gallinule occurs in suitable 
places throughout the en- 
tire Lower Peninsula, but 
seems to be most abundant 
in its southern half. It is 
plentiful in the Monroe 
county marshes, along the 
Detroit River, St. Clair 
Tlats, about Saginaw Bay 
near the mouth of the river, 
as well as at Chandler’s 
Marsh, Ingham county, 
and elsewhere in the in- 
terior of the state. Its 
notes, flight, and general 
appearance are so similar 
to those of the Coot that 
considerable care is needed Fig. 44. Florida Gallinule. 
to discriminate between From Baird, Brewer and Ridgway’s Water Birds of North 
them, and many of the America. (Little, Brown & Co.) 
the records of ‘““Mud-hens” probably really refer to this species. 
It nests wherever found, and in some localities is extraordinarily abundant 
during the nesting season. The nest is commonly placed among the cat- 
tails or reeds, in standing water, or on small islands in very wet marshes, 
and the eggs are laid from the first of June to the middle of July. These 
vary in number from eight to fifteen, and are buffy-white to clear buff, 
spotted rather scantily with dark brown. They average 1.74 by 1.19 
inches. 
This is one of our most graceful water birds, a fact which no one would 
suspect from examination of the distorted specimens usually seen on 
museum shelves. 
The food consists largely of insects, most of which are aquatic, but it 
also includes many other forms, and Prof. Aughey examined a gallinule 
killed at Beatrice, Nebr. in September 1872, which had eaten seven grass- 
hoppers, 29 other insects, and some seeds and other vegetable matter. 
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 
Adult: Head and neck all around dark slaty blue, almost black; breast and belly 
similar but paler; upper parts, including wings and tail, similar, but brownish on in- 
ner secondaries and rump; several conspicuous white streaks on the flanks; most of 
the under tail-coverts pure white; only the central coverts clear black. ‘Tip of bill yellow, 
remainder, including the frontal plate, bright red; legs and feet greenish, the half inch 
next the feathers orange. Sexes alike. Immature: Similar, but under parts gray or 
nearly white; frontal Oe much smaller, and no red on bill or legs. Length 12 to 14.50 
inches; wing 6.85 to 7.25; tip of bill to back edge of frontal shield 1.70 to 1. 85; tarsus 
2.10 to 2.30. 
