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Tatterford, on the upper waters of the Wensum, by a gamekeeper 
named Flatten, then in the service of Mr. Dugmore. The bird 
was skinned and roughly set up by Flatten, and on quitting 
Mr. Dugmore’s service, shortly after, he took it with him to 
Wroxham, where his father acts as keeper to Mr. Blakc-Humfrey. 
It was there seen, in his possession, by Mr. Harvey Blake-Humfrey, 
who succeeded in securing it for Mr. Dowell, and on being 
sent to a Norwich birdstufter to be restuffed it was examined 
by Mr. J. II. Gurney, Junr., and others, and found to be an 
adult specimen of the Green-backed Forphyrio, of Africa, and not 
the European Purple or Ilyacinthine Gallinule ( Porphyrio veterum). 
Both species are figured in the last number of Dresser’s ‘Birds of 
Europe,’ issued in December, 187G; and in describing the Green- 
backed species that author remarks, “ This southern representative 
of the Purple Gallinule, differing in having the back green instead 
of blue, is found on the north side of the Mediterranean as an 
extremely rare straggler.” * * * “ On the south side of the 
Mediterranean, however, throughout Africa, as far south as the 
Cape of Good Hope, the present species is very generally dis- 
tributed, entirely taking the place of the European Purple 
Gallinule.” Mr. J. II. Gurney, Junr., as stated in his ‘Rambles 
of a Naturalist,’ met with it in Egypt, where, as he points out, 
Captain Shelley probably confused it with Porphyrin veterum. 
It is worthy of mention that a bird of the same species was also 
obtained, last autumn, in Scotland, as recorded in a recent number 
of the ‘ Scotch Naturalist ’ ; but though both Greenbacked and 
Purple Gallinules have occurred in several, and in about an equal 
number of instances in this country, the fact of their being so 
frequently brought over in ships and kept in various parts of 
England, not only in aviaries but in a semi-wild state on lakes 
and ponds, renders it impossible to decide whether these stragglers 
are escaped birds or voluntary migrants to our coasts. In the 
present instance the perfect plumage and cleanness of the feet and 
legs of the specimen, and its sharp claws, seemed to indicate 
that it had not been in confinement ; but specimens which 
Mr. J. II. Gurney, Junr., has had alive for some time, will still 
bear comparison in all these points with Mr. Dowell’s bird. A 
notice of its fate in the local papers and ‘ Land and Water,’ failed 
to find an owner for it. 
