GALLINULINiE. 
109 
feathers oblong, narrow, rounded ; wings rather short, 
j moderately convex, broad and rounded, of about twenty - 
|| four quills ; the inner secondaries long and pointed ; tail 
j very short, much rounded, of twelve narrow, decurved, 
weak feathers. 
The skeleton of the Gallinulinse more resembles that 
of the Partridges than of any other tribe ; but the whole 
form is more compressed, and the sternum of very singu- 
j iar construction, being of moderate length, anteriorly of 
ordinary breadth, but narrowing backwards, so as to end 
in a point, and from before the middle on each side send- 
ing out a very long lateral process. These birds are 
generally distributed, some species being found in every 
part of the globe. Residing among reeds, sedges, rushes, 
flags, or other aquatic plants, they are peculiarly fitted 
by the extreme compression of their body for making their 
way among the herbage, and by the great length of their 
toes and claws for supporting themselves upon the stalks 
or blades of vegetables floating upon the water or grow- 
ing out of it. They float lightly, and, with the excep- 
tion of a few species, swim with ease ; but fly heavily, 
with their legs at first dangling, and afterwards stretched 
out behind them. In open places they run with great 
speed, and in their ordinary walk advance in a sedate 
manner, raising their feet high. Many of them have 
frontal plates or appendages of a vascular tissue, covered 
by the ordinary integuments or by a horny cuticle, and 
becoming more tumid, and often more highly coloured in 
the breeding season. The nest is bulky, and placed on 
the ground ; the eggs numerous, oval, light coloured, and 
spotted, dotted, or speckled with dusky. The young, 
covered with long, generally black down, run and swim 
immediately after birth. The food is various, consisting 
of seeds, herbage, worms, insects, and mollusca, 
