BRAStLIAN SpaH-WINGED WATER-HEN. 
of it's body, in the form of it's bill, and in the 
smallness of it's head. Yet it appears, to us, 
to differ essentially from these birds, by singu- 
lar and even peculiar chara6lers. It has spurs 
on the shoulders, and shreds of membranes on 
the fore side of the head. It's toes and nails 
are extremely long : the hind-toe is as long as 
the fore-toe ; all the nails are straight, round, 
and drawn out like needles ; and from this cir- 
cumstance, probably, it received, at St. Do- 
mingo, the appellation of Surgeon. The spe- 
cies is common in all the marshes of Brasil ; 
and we are assured that it occurs, also, in Gui- 
ana and St. Domingo. We may presume, that 
it is likewise found in all the. tropical parts of 
America, both on the continent and in the 
islands, as far as New Spain: though Fernandez 
seems to speak of it only from report ; since he 
makes it come from the North, whereas it is, 
really, a native of the South. 
We know four or five Jacanas, which are 
of the same bulk, and diiiercnly in colour. The 
iirst species given by Fernandez is the fourth 
.of Marcgrave. The head, the neck, and the 
" fore- 
