rHE INDIAN GALLINULE. 
3^1 
Subfamily FULICIN^. 
Genus PORPHYRIO, Briss. 
702. PORPHYRIO POLIOCEPHALUS. 
THE INDIAN GALLINULE. 
Gallinula poliocephala, Lath. Ind. Orn. Suppl. p. Ixviii. Porphyrio neglectus, 
Schleg. Mus. P.-B., Ralli, p. 63 ; Htime^ S. F. i. p. 249 ; id. Nests and Eggs, 
p. 594 ; id. S. i^. iii. p. 185. Porphyrio poliocephalus, Jenl. B. Ind. ii. p. 713 ; 
Bl. B. Bicrm. p. 161 ; Butler, S. F. iv. p. 20 : Oates, 8. F. v. p. 165 ; Hmne 8,^ 
Dav. 8. F. vi. p. 464 ; Elliot, S. F. vii. p. 22 ; Cripps, 8. F. vii. p. 305 Hume, 
8. F. viii. p. 113 ; Legge, Birds Ceglon, p. 795; Bingliam, 8. F. ix. p. 197 ; Oates, 
8. F. X. p. 241. 
Description. — Male and female. The feathered portions of the head and 
neck grey^ tinged with lavender on the hind neck; the cheeks^ chin and 
throat washed with blue ; back^ rump^ scapnlars and upper tail-coverts 
deep purplish blue ; tail bluish brown ; wing-coverts and tertiaries greenish 
blue ; primaries and secondaries greenish blue on the outer webs, black on 
the inner ; breast and under wing-coverts greenish blue, similar to the 
wings j abdomen, sides of the body, vent and thigh-coverts deep purplish 
blue like the back ; under tail-coverts white. 
Anterior half of bill dull red, basal half and the whole culnien nearly 
to the tip very dark blood-red ; round the nostrils white ; central portion 
of the shield deep red, the edges brighter red ; iris bright red ; eyelids 
plumbeous ; legs and toes red, the joints more or less brown ; claws dark 
horn-colour. 
Length 17 inches, tail 4, wing 9'6, tarsus 3*6, bill from gape 1"5. The 
female is of about the same size or rather larger. 
P. edwardsi from Siam and Cochin China is very likely to occur in 
Tenasserim ; it has the back, rump, upper tail-coverts, tail and wings uni- 
form greenish black. P. calvus, which inhabits the Malay peninsula, is also 
likely to be found in Tenasserim ; it resembles P. poliocephalus in general 
appearance, but it has the occiput, sides of the face and the chin black. 
P. coelestis from China is described as having a white rump, a feature 
sufficient in itself to separate it from all the other known species of 
Porphyrio. 
The Indian Gallinule is found over the whole of Burmah except perhaps 
in the southern half of Tenasserim, where Mr. Davison does not appear 
to have met with it. 
It inhabits the whole of India and Ceylon, and is probably also distri- 
buted throughout the Indo-Burmese countries. 
