BIRDS OF THE LAKES, STREAMS, AND SWAMPS 
231 
Eggs . — Five to eight, varying from dull yellowish-stone to light 
buffy-brown, sparingly and uniformly spotted and blotched with shades 
of chestnut-brown and faint markings of purplish-brown. Breeding- 
season : September to December. 
3. Dusky Moor-hen Gallinula tenebrosa Gould 
Gal-liri ~u-la — L., gallinula , small fowl : ten-e-bro-sa — L., tenebrosus , dark. 
Distribution . — Australia (except north-western Australia, Northern 
Territory, and central Australia) ; also occurs in New Guinea. 
Notes. — Also called Black Moor-hen and Black Gallinule. Usually 
in pairs or flocks, frequenting swamps and the margins of lakes or streams. 
It is an active bird, and runs, swims, or dives with equal celerity ; occasion- 
ally when disturbed it flies with a heavy and laboured flight from one 
side of a stream or swamp to the other. Food: aquatic plants and insects. 
Nest . — An open structure, composed of reed-stems and dried grasses ; 
placed on a broken-down tussock of grass or rushes. 
Eggs . — Five to seven, occasionally ten, varying from pale creamy- 
white 'to putty colour, covered with dots and irregular-shaped spots and 
blotches of dull reddish-brown and purplish-bi'own. Breeding-season: 
August to December. 
4. Chestnut Rail Eulabeornis castaneoventris Gould 
Eu-lab-e-orn-is — Gk, eulabes, cautious ; Gk, ornis f bird : cas-tan -e-o-ven - 
tris — L., castaneus, chestnut ; L., venter, belly. 
Distribution . — Northern Australia, from Kimberley (north-western 
Australia) to Cape York Peninsula; also occurs in the Aru Islands. 
Notes . — Also called Chestnut-breasted Rail. Usually singly or in 
pairs, frequenting muddy shores and mangroves, where it is not often 
seen owing to its shyness and wariness. It rarely takes to the wing when 
alarmed, generally seeking safety by running. Food: insects, molluscs, 
and crustaceans. 
Nest. — A flat, unlined structure, composed of sticks ; generally placed 
on a low slanting branch of a mangrove tree. 
Eggs . — Four, pale pinkish-white, sparsely dotted all over with reddish- 
chestnut; some markings appear as if beneath the surface of the shell. 
Breeding-season : September to November. 
5. Eastern Swamp-hen Porphyrio melanotus Temminck 
Por-phyr'-i-o — Gk, porphyrios , purple: mel'-an-o'-tus — Gk, melas ( mela - 
nos), black; Gk, noton, back. 
Distribution . — Australia (except the south-western portion), and 
Tasmania; also occurs in New Guinea, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, 
Lord Howe Island, and New Zealand. 
Notes . — Also called Bald Coot, Purple Gallinule, Purple Water-hen, 
Black-backed Water-hen, Macquarie Hen, Redbill, and Pukeko. Usually 
