THE BIRD BOOK 
JACANAS. Family JACANID^E 
288. Mexican Jacana. Jacana spinosa. 
Range. — Tropical America, north in summer 
to the lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas, and 
casually to Florida. 
Yellowish olive. 
Mexican Jacana. 
This interesting species has most of its 
structural characters similar to the Plovers, 
but has more the appearance and habits of the 
Rails. They are about eight inches long, the 
head and neck are black, the body chestnut, 
and the wings largely greenish yellow. They 
have long legs, long toes and extremely long toe nails, a scaly leaf on the fore- 
head, and a sharp spur on the shoulder of the wing. Owing to their long toes 
and nails, they are enabled to walk over floating weeds and rubbish that would 
sink beneath their weight, otherwise. They build their nests on these little 
floating islands in the marsh; they are also sometimes made of weeds and 
trash on floating lily pads. They lay from three to five eggs of a yellowish 
olive color, curiously scrawled with brown and black. Size 1.22 x .95. Data. — 
Tampico, Mexico, June 3, 1900. Three eggs. Nest of weeds and drift on lily 
leaf floating in fresh water pond near town. 
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