67 



PURPLE GALLINULE. 

 GALLINULA PORPHYRIO. 

 [Plate LXXIIL— Fig. 2.] 



Gallimila porpliyriOf Latham, Ind. Orn, p. 768. Idem, III, pt. 1, j). 254. Itl. 2fl /Sm]}. 326. — Gerik, 

 Orn. Y, f. 485. — Fulica poi'pliyriOf Turt. Syst. I, 422. — Scop. *Ami. I, JVo. 152. — J/a Poiiie 



taTie, Briss. Oim, V, ]). 522, 1, pi. 42, 1 Buff. Ois. XV, p. 302. PI. enl. JVo. 810.— Raii, 



<S|/7i. p. 116. 13, 14. — ^WiLi. Orn. p. 318. — Purple Water Hen, Edwards, pi. 87. — Axbin, HI, pi. 

 11. — ^Pealei's Museum f J\*o. 4294. 



THIS splendid and celebrated bird is a native of the south- 

 ern parts of the continent of America ; and is occasionally found 

 within the limits of the United States. But we have to regret that 

 it is not in our power to furnish any additional particulars to its 

 history, already detailed in the works of the European Naturalists. 

 Travellers in our section of the globe have hitherto been too ne- 

 glectful of that beautiful, interesting and useful portion of animat- 

 ed nature, the Birds. Content with wandering over an extent of 

 country, noting merely the common-place occurrences of life, the 

 voyager returns to his friends, and unfolds to their attentive ears 

 the history of his adventures. His book is published, read, and 

 thrown aside with the ephemeral sheets, the useful but soon for- 

 gotten newspapers. If the natural history of only one single acre 

 were to be accurately recorded by each traveller, mankind would 

 receive more real benefit and satisfaction from such productions, 

 than from cart-loads of itineraries, descriptive of scenes and man- 

 ners, which, from being long familiar to us, fail to interest, or 

 disgust by the frequency of their repetition. Curiosity is an active 

 principle, and we could sincerely wish every traveller to be pos- 

 sessed of an abundant share of it. Not that impertinent desire to 

 pry into the affairs of families or communities which distinguishes 



