303 



POKPHYKIO SMAEAGNOTUS. 



(GREEN-BACKED GALLINULE.) 



Porphyrio, Briss. Orn. v. p. 522 (1760). 



Fulica porphyrio, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 258 (1766). 



La Taleve de Madagascar, D'Aubent. PI. Enl. 810 (1770). - 



Gallinula porphyrio (Linn.), Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. p. 768 (1790). 



Porphyrio smaragnotus, Temm. Man. d'Orn. ii. p. 700 (1820). 



Porphyrio chlorynotus, Vieil. Enc. Method, p. 1050 (1823). 



Porphyrio erythropus, Steph. in Shaw's Gen. Zool. xii. p. 255 (1824). 



Porphyrio madagascariensis, Gray, Gen. of B. iii. p. 598 (1845). 



Porphyrio chloronotus (VieilL), A. Brehm, J. f. Orn. 1853, Extrah. p. 103. 



Porphyrio smaragdonotus, Licht. Nomencl. Av. p. 97 (1854). 



Porphyrio smaragdotus, Bolle, J. f. Orn. 1856, p. 166. 



Porphyrio aegyptiacus, Heugl. Syst. Uebers. p. 65. no. 672 (1856). 



Figura unica. 

 DAubenton, PI. Enl. 810. 



3 ad. Porphyrioni veterum similis, sed dorso viridi nee cseruleo facile distinguendus : rostro rubro-sanguineo : 

 iride rubra : pedibus ruhro-carneis. 



2 ad. mari similis sed paullo minor. 



Adult Male (Fayoom, 7th June). Differs in plumage from Porphyrio veterum only in having the back rich 

 dark bluish green instead of dark blue ; frontal plate and bill bright sealing-wax-red ; iris deep lake 

 red; legs dark flesh-red. Total length about 18 inches, gape \'7, wing 10 - 4, tail 4'35, tarsus 3 - 85, 

 middle toe with claw 49, claw TO. 



Adult Female. Undistinguishable from the male in plumage, but, if any thing, a trifle less in size. 



This southern representative of the Purple Gallinule, differing in having the back green instead 

 of blue, is only found, on the north side of the Mediterranean, as an extremely rare straggler. 

 Baron J. W. von Miiller records its occurrence in the south of France, and states that a peasant 

 brought to him six specimens alive, which he said he had caught near the sea-coast ; but it is 

 quite possible that these were birds escaped from confinement. Salvador!, however, says that 

 there are two examples in the Museum of Turin, originally catalogued under the name of 

 Porphyrio hyacinthinus, one of which was sent from Sardinia by Signor Prunner on the 29th 

 November, 1820, and the other, which was also said to have come from that island, lived for 

 some years in the Royal Park at Stupinigi, and died there in 1849. Subsequently the King of 

 Italy received several of these birds, said to have come from Sicily ; and one of these was, in 1872, 



3d 



