Order  VII.  GRALLiE. 
Family  V.  Hallid^e. 
The  second  Subfamily, 
GALLINULINiE,  or  Gallinules, 
have  the  Bill  short,  with  the  culmen  more  or  less  elevated,  and  advancing  on  the  forehead,  and  the  sides 
compressed ;  the  Wings  short  and  rounded ;  the  Tail  short  and  rounded ;  the  Tarsi  long  and  slender ; 
the  Toes  very  long,  slender,  and  more  or  less  margined  on  their  sides,  and  the  hind  toe  long ;  the  Claws 
generally  long,  and  slightly  curved. 
Porphyrio  Briss.* 
Bill  short,  very  much  elevated  at  the  base,  which  is  flat  and  broadly  dilated  on  the  forehead ;  the 
culmen  much  arched  to  the  tip ;  and  the  sides  much  compressed ;  the  nostrils  placed  in  a  small  nasal 
groove  and  rounded.  Wings  moderate,  with  the  second,  third,  and  fourth  quills  nearly  equal  and 
longest.  Tail  short  and  rounded.  Tarsi  long,  shorter  than  the  middle  toe,  and  scutellated  with  broad 
tranverse  scales.  Toes  very  long,  slender,  and  free  at  their  base,  with  the  lateral  ones  unequal,  the  outer 
longest ;  the  claws  long,  slender,  and  somewhat  curved. 
These  richly  coloured  birds  are  inhabitants  of  the  wanner  and  temperate  climates,  where  they  live  in  pairs  or  in 
small  flocks  on  the  borders  of  the  lakes,  rivers,  and  the  inundated  fields.  They  seem  to  prefer  the  land  more  than  the 
water,  walk  about  with  a  stately  air,  run  with  quickness  and  lightness,  and  are  capable,  from  the  length  of  their  toes)  of 
walking  on  the  plants  that  float  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  searching  for  their  food.  They  are  said  to  hold  their  food 
in  the  manner  of  parrots.  Their  food  consists  of  fruits,  seeds,  and  roots  of  aquatic  plants,  and  of  small  fish.  The  nest 
is  usually  placed  on  the  borders  of  rivers,  and  in  the  marshes,  concealed  by  the  high  reeds  and  rushes  :  it  is  constructed 
with  stalks  of  grasses  and  decayed  vegetables ;  and  the  female  lays  from  three  to  four  eggs. 
1.  P.  veterum  Gmel.  Itin.  iii.  t.  12.,  Edwards's  Birds,  pi.  87-  — 
Fulica  Porphyrio  Pall.  ;  Porphyrio  hyacinthinus  Temm. ;  P.  an- 
tiquorum  Pr.  Bonap.  Gould's  B.  of  Eur.  pi.  340. ;  Fulica  cremlea 
Vandelli.  ? 
2.  P.  indicus  Horsf.  Linn.  Trans,  xiii.  194.  —  Porphyrio  sma- 
ragdinus  Temm.  PI.  col.  421. 
3.  P.  poliocephalus  (Lath.)  —  Porphyrio  pulverulentus  Temm. 
PI.  col.  405. 
4.  P.  madagascuriensis  (Lath.) —  Porphyrio  smaragnotus  Temm. 
PI.  enl.  810. ;  Porphyrio  chlorynotus  Vieill, 
5.  P.  melanot  us  Temm. — Porphyrio  cyanocephalus  Vieill.;  Fulica 
alba  Lath.  Phillip's  Bot.  Bay,  pi.  p.  273.,  White's  Journ.  pi.  p.  238. 
6.  P.  bellus  Gould,  Proc.  Z.  S.  1840.  p.  176.,  B.  of  Austr.  pi. 
7.  P.  Al/eni  (Thorn.)  Ann.  &  Mag.  of  Nat.  Hist. 
8.  P.  martinica  (Linn.)  Temm.  Jacq.  Vog.  t.  3.  —  Porphyrio 
Tavoua  Vieill.  Gal.  des  Ois.  t.  267.,  Wils.  Amer.  Orn.  pi.  73.  f.  2., 
Audub.  B.  of  Amer.  pi.  305.  ;  P.  cyanocollis  Vieill.  Azara  No.  383. 
9-  P.  cyanoleucus  Vieill.  N.  Diet.  d'Hist.  Nat.  xxviii.  p.  27., 
Azara  No.  381. 
10.  P.  parvus  (Bodd.)  PI.  enl.  897-  —  Fulica  flavirostris  Gmel. ; 
Porphyrio  simplex  Gould?  ;  P.  cayanus  Less. 
11.  P.  cinereus  Vieill.  N.  Diet.  d'Hist.  Nat.  xxviii.  29- 
12.  P.  calvus  Vieill.  N.  Diet.  d'Hist.  Nat.  xxviii.  p.  28. 
13.  ?  P.  maderaspatanus  (Gmel.)  Briss.  Ray's  Syn.  t.  ].  f.  4. 
14.  ?  P.  melanocephalus  (Gmel.)  Briss. 
15.  ?  P.  purpureus  (Gmel.)  Vieill. 
16.  ?  P.  viridis  (Gmel.)  Briss. 
17-  P.  me.ricanus  (Gmel.)  Vieill. 
*  Established  by  Brisson  (Oruitholoyie)  in  1760. 
