220 



ZOOLOGY. 



The purple gallinnle {Porphyrio martinica) lias tlie head, 

 neck, and under jjarts of a beautiful purjilish blue, becom- 

 ing darker on the belly. It inhal)its the South Atlantic 

 and Gulf States. With it is associated the Florida galli- 

 nnle {GalUnula galeata). Allied to Porj^hyrio is the New 

 Zealand Notornis (Fig. 259). 



Allied to the gallinules is the "giant" or GalUnula 

 gigantea (Fig. 2G0), which formerly lived in the Mascarene 

 Islands, having been observed as late 

 as 1094. It stood two metres (over six 

 feet) high. With it was associated a 

 large bine gallinnle — Porphyrio [No- 

 tornis?) cmr^desceiis — which was last 

 seen on the Isle Bourbon between 1669 

 and 1672. It was incapable of fliigrht, 

 but ran with exceeding swiftness. 



The cranes are of great stature, the 

 legs and neck very long, with the head 

 sometimes curiously tufted. The white 

 or whooping crane {Grus Americamis) 

 is pure white, and is about 50 inches 

 long, while the brown or sandhill crane 

 {Grus Canadensis) is smaller and the 

 adult plumage is leaden gray. With 

 the true herons are associated the 

 night herons and the bitterns of the 

 United States, the boat-billed heron of 

 Central America, and the odd Balmii- 

 ceps rex of Africa, which has an enor- 

 mous head and broad, large bill. The 

 °' American bittern {Botaurns lentigi- 

 nosns) nests on the ground. The night 

 heron or squawk (Nycliardea grisea) is common in sum- 

 mer in the Northei'n States; it is about two feet in length 

 and has two very long plumes arising from the base of the 

 head. The great blue heron (Ardca lierodias) is about four 

 feet in length, and the general color above is grayish blue. 



Fig. S60.— The " Giant 

 Mauritius. 



