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In its habits the present species closely assimilates with its congeners, Porphyrio cceruleus 

 and P. smaragdonotus, and, like those, inhabits only the dense reed-beds and places overgrown 

 with aquatic herbage. 



Speaking of its habits as observed at Lenkoran on the Caspian, Dr. G. Radde (/. c.) writes 

 that " it is as stupid as a Coot. It is averse to leaving the densest reed-thickets and can easily 

 be caught alive in these. Its flight is low and direct and it is an easy bird to shoot. It seeks 

 to escape by running, and is averse to taking wing ; the steps it takes are long, being a foot in 

 length ; when running it cocks its short tail up so that the white under tail-coverts are seen, 

 and it jerks its tail continually even when otherwise quite motionless, in this respect much 

 resembling Rallus, which it resembles greatly when running. Its chief weapon is the heavy 

 bill, and the foot is much used in holding its food when parrot-like it stands on one leg. At 

 times this bird collects in large flocks, and on the 16th December about 150 were observed 

 leaving one reed-bed for another not far distant, running swiftly over the narrow meadow which 

 divided the two. They ran like Coursers, with the neck stretched out, over the open ground, 

 where they evidently felt unsafe, and some when scared up settled on a willow, forming a lovely 

 picture." In Ceylon, Col. Legge writes (B. of Ceylon, p. 797), it is " so partial to rush-beds and 

 waters which are overgrown with reeds and impenetrable sedge-growth, that it is only found in 

 such spots, not inhabiting (owing solely to an absence of such cover) many places where one 

 would expect to find it. It is, again, a very sociable bird, being quite gregarious in its habits ; 

 and this is another cause which confines it to localities where there is feeding-ground and cover 

 for large numbers of its fellows. In a neglected tank like Topare, through which the floods 

 speedily pass, but leave a large area of shallow water, which in tropical climates speedily 

 becomes a tangled mass of lotus-reeds, rushes, aquatic plants, and shrubs, the Purple Coot finds 

 a perfect paradise ; and dozens may be seen stalking unconcernedly about on the floating leaves 

 and herbage, violently jerking up their tails and showing the conspicuous white under-coverts, 

 keeping all the while well out of shot and appearing to know that the swarms of crocodiles 

 lurking about them are the best safeguard against the sportsman wading in within killing 

 distance of them. In spite of crocodiles, however (which in these marshy places belong to the 

 smaller species, Crocodihis palustris, which average about 8 to 10 feet in length, and are not 

 dangerous), I have frequently waded for a long time, in search of other and more valuable 

 species, through the haunts of the Blue Coot, and then I observed that he mysteriously 

 disappeared into the surrounding vegetation and remained in concealment until after my retreat. 

 "When put on the wing it flies well and swiftly. I have seen one flying round and round 

 the lotus-pond at Colombo many times before alighting, its long legs stretched out behind him 

 like a Heron's. At the Tamara Kulam, near Trincomalie, the dense rush-growth of which was 

 tenanted by swarms of these Coots, their hiding-place was burnt down once a year by natives, 

 and then they disappeared for some time, making their way probably through the jungle to 

 other haunts in the neighbourhood." 



This Gallinule is said to feed on seeds and vegetable matter, and to be especially fond of 

 rice. Its call-note is loud, and, according to Jerdon, somewhat fowl-like. Captain Butler writes 

 that one he saw seized by an Eagle cried out piteously, making a noise very like the cries of a 

 domestic fowl when caught to be killed. 



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