GENUS PARRA (Latham). 



THIS is a tropical form of birds suited to a region where the aquatic vegetation is as rich as the terrestrial, 

 for its feet are constructed, like the legs of a mantis, to spread over a large surface of fallen grasses 

 and leaves, readily supporting the bird. This adaptation gives it facility to pass swiftly over floating leaves 

 and among aquatic plants. 



Species of this genus are found in India, Africa, and America. 



PARKA GALLINACEA (Temm). 



COMB-CRESTED PARRA. 



THIS is a most grotesque bird in appearance, reminding one of an awkward young fledgling whose balance 

 is not yet true. The long spindle legs, with their mantis-like toes, are a wonderful adaptation by 

 nature of means to ends, but are not otherwise beautiful. The body is small, the neck long, the tail 

 rudimentary, and the wings large ; these are partly opened when the birds run across the flat water plants, 

 and materially aid its speed and balance. 



This Comb-crested Parra may be taken as one of the most typical members of the genus, its hind 

 toe and claw being more largely developed than those of any other species, by which means it traverses the 

 leaves floating on the water with speed and grace. 



Gilbert writes interestingly of it : — " I did not meet with this bird until the latter part of my stay 

 in the country, just before the wet season set in, when I observed it on the large lake near Point Smith, 

 which at this time (the month of December) contained so little water that I could wade over every part 

 of it ; and it was fortunate that this was the case, for this bird confines itself so much to the muddy parts 

 of the middle of the lake that it might be looked for in vain from the shores. It would seem to be a 

 very local species, for I did not meet with it in any part of the Peninsula. In the following January 

 after a succession of heavy rains, the lake became so far filled as to be too deep for a person to attempt 

 to cross any part of it, consequently no second opportunity of observing the Parra occurred before my 

 departure. Those observed by me were distributed in four or five small families in different parts of the 

 lake, and were usually occupied in feeding from the floating aquatic plants, over which the great length of 

 their toes and nails enables them to run with great facility. At the slightest alarm they dive down at 

 once or take to flight, Their powers of diving and of remaining under water are equal to those of any 

 bird I have ever met with ; on the other hand, their powers of flight are very weak. They will, however, 

 often mount up fifteen or twenty yards, and fly from one end of the lake to the other, a distance of half 

 or three-quarters of a mile ; but generally they merely rise above the surface of the water and fly off for 

 about a hundred yards. During flight their long legs are thrown out horizontally to their full length. 

 While feeding they utter a slowly repeated ' cluck-cluck.' The stomach is extremely muscular, and the 

 food consists of aquatic insects and some kind of vegetable matter." 



Mr. Elsey procured some specimens " at a large lagoon, surrounded by a dense fringe of polvgoniums 

 near Flinders. Among them was a female which contained mature eggs, and had, I feel convinced, a nest 

 somewhere in the polygonium ; but I could not find it, though I closely examined the whole circuit. She 

 remained out the whole day without once retiring to it. Its singular calvptra was bright crimson, which 

 colour seems to be due to the excessive vascularity of the membrane, as it was completely blanched before 

 I got the bird out of the water." 



