298 



REPTILES AND BIRDS. 



the name of Porphyrio (purple-coloured) on account of its colour; 

 If it could be acclimatised, it would be a valuable addition to our 

 ornamental waters. 



There are several varieties of this species, differing more or less 

 from one another. They inhabit the warmer regions of the Old 

 World, such as Asia Minor, Africa, and the South of Europe ; it is 

 about the size of the ordinary domestic fowl. 



Rails (Rallns) are characterised by a slender, tapering, slightly- 

 arched beak, longer than the head ; elongated tarsi, terminating in 



Fig. 112. — Hyacinthine Gallinule. 



slender toes, much compressed and completely separate, and not 

 marginate ; wings middle-sized ; tail short. 



Their habits bear a strong resemblance to those of the Gallinules. 

 Like the latter, they are timid, and hide themselves in rushes, under- 

 wood, or grass of the marshes and meadows they inhabit. They 

 make use of the burrows hollowed out by water-rats in which to take 

 refuge when hard pressed. Little thickets bordering brooks, and 

 small low-lying damp meadows, are localities to which they are 

 peculiarly partial. Their flight is heavy and slow, not elevated, but 

 is generally in a direct line. In running, however, they are adepts, 

 and the means they adopt for escaping their pursuers often succeed. 



