!0I 
F U L 
’Kuli its feet hanging down; its toes are extended in the 
fame manner as tliofe of the rails, but are furnifhed their 
whole length with a membranous edging ; and this is the 
intermediate (hade between the birds with cloven feet and 
thofc with webbed feet. The habits of the water-hen 
correfpond to its conformation : it is oftener in the water 
than the rail, though it does not fwim much, but only 
crolTes from one lide to another. It lurks the greatefl part 
of the day among the reeds, or under the roots of alders, 
willows, and ofiers, and leaves not its retreat until even¬ 
ing: it frequents lefs the marfhesand bogs than the»ivers 
and pools. Itsneft is placed clofe to the brinkof the wa¬ 
ter, and coiiftrufted with a large heap of broken reeds 
and rulhesinterwoven. The.mother quits her neft every 
evening, having previoufly covered the eggs with herbs 
and rulhes. The young run as foon as they are hatched, 
like thofe of tlie rail, and in the fame way are led by their 
dam to the water ; and, no doubt, it is for this reafon that 
the parents, confulting future convenience, always build 
their neft fo near the furface. So well is the little family 
conduced and concealed, that it is difficult to rob it dur¬ 
ing the very (hort term of its education; for the young 
ones are foon able to fliift for themfclves, and leave their 
prolific mother fufficient time to rear a fecond brood. It 
is even averred that they fometimes have three hatches in 
a year. Though the water-hen is not migratory, and is 
every where rather fcaVce, it has been planted by nature 
inmoftofthe known regions of the world, even the re- 
moteft. Captain Cook found it in the ifle of Norfolk and 
in New Zealand ; Adanfon, in an inlet at Senegal; Gme- 
lin, in the plain of Mangafeain Siberia, near the Jenifea, 
where thefpeciesis very numerous. Nor are thefe birds 
lefs common in the Antilles, at Guadaloupe, at Jamaica, 
and in the ifle of Aves, though it contains no fiefli wa¬ 
ter ; many are found alfo in Canada, and other parts of 
North America. This is the moor-hen fpecies, fo com¬ 
mon in England, frequenting every where the borders of 
rivers and ponds where weeds grow. The neft, where 
and how made, is mentioned above. It lays feven eggs, 
almoft two inches in length, of a yellowifli white, marked 
with irregular reddifli brown fpots, which are not nume¬ 
rous, with a few minute ones interfperfed, and breeds, 
with us, twice in the feafon. It flies awkwardly, and 
not far at a time, though it runs faft ; and, notw ithftand- 
ing it is not web-footed, it fwims well, and dives to a con- 
fiderable diftance. Thofe found in Europe are diftin- 
guiflied by their flze, being about the bulk of a pullet fix 
months old ; the length from the bill to the tail is a foot, 
and from the bill to the nails fourteen or fifteen inches; 
the bill is yellow at the point, and red at the bafe; the 
membranous fpace on the front is alfo red, and fo is the 
lower part of the thigh above the knee; the feet are 
greenifh ; all the plumage is of a dull iron grey, clouded 
with white under the body, and greenifli brown grey 
above; a white line borders the wing; the tail, when 
raifed, flievvs white on the lateral feathers of the inferior 
coverts ; the plumage thick, compadf, and clothed 
with down. In the female, which is fmaller, the colours 
are lighter; the white waves on the belly are more dif- 
tindl, and the throat iSwhite; the fpace on the forehead 
is, in young fubjedts, covered with a down more like hair 
than feathers. 
3. f'lilica viridis, the green gallinule : length eleven 
inches and a half; bill of a greenifh yellow, as is the bare 
part of the forehead ; the upper parts of the body are of 
a dull green; the' under white; legs of agreyifli yellow ; 
clawsgrey. This fpecies feenis peculiar to the Eaft Indies. 
4. Fulica melanocephala, the black-headed gallinule : 
this is wholly blue, except the head and neck, which are 
black; and there is a broad bare fpace on the top of the 
head. The female is faid to have a deep fulvous crown ; 
the upper parts of the body the fame, ftreaked with white 
on the fcapulars ; the wings greenifli, with a fulvous 
tinge; quills greenifh blue. It inhabits America. 
5. Fulica alba, the white gallinule j this is a large fpe. 
Vol. VIII. No. 487. 
I C A. 
cies, not lefs tha« two feet in length. The plumage is 
entirely white ; and the forehead, bill, and legs, red. It 
was found in Norfolk Ifland, by governor Pliillip, in his 
voyage to the fettlement of Botany-bay. 
6. Fulica purpurea, the crowing gallinule : the bill of 
this is pale; irides fulvous; the plumage of a dark purple 
colour, with fome white feathers intermixed; the legs 
greenifh yellow. This inhabits Mexico; is a marfh 
bird, feeding on fifh, and thought to be not ill-tafted 
meat. It is called by (omeyacacititli, and is laid to imi¬ 
tate the crowing of a cock. 
7. Fulica flaviroftris, the favourite gallinule: length 
twelve inches; bill yellow ; upper parts of the plumage 
deep blue; Tides of the head and neck paler; fore part of 
the neck blueifli white; belly, thighs, and rump, white; 
quills and tail brown, the laft darkeft; legs long, yellow ; 
hind toe very long. Inhabits Cayenne. 
S. Fulica porphyrio, the purple gallinule, or fultana 
hen : front red, bracelets many ; body green above, violet 
below ; fize of a common fowl; length one foot five in¬ 
ches ; bill very flout at the bafe, coinprefTed on the fides, 
above an inch and a half in length, and- of a deep red ; 
irides fulvous ; the forehead bare and red ; the head and 
hind part of the neck, are gloffy violet ; cheeks, throat, 
and fore part of the neck, violet blue ; back, rump, and 
fcapulars, dull green, but glofty; quills the fame, but 
brown within ; the tail nearly the fame, and rounded in 
fliape ; legs very flout, and the colour of the bill. The 
female is fmaller than the male. This bird is more or 
lefs common in all the warmer parts of the globe. Ort 
the coafts of Barbary they abound, as well as in fome 
of the iftands of tiie Mediterranean. In Sicily they are 
bred in plenty, and kept for their beauty. It is frequent¬ 
ly met with in various parts of the fouth of Ruffia, and 
vveftern parts of Siberia, among reedy places ; and in the 
neighbourhood of the Cafpian fea not uncommon ; but in 
the cultivated rice-grounds of Ghilar in Perfia, in great 
plenty and in high plumage. The female makes her neft 
among the reeds in the middle of March; lays three or 
four eggs, and fits from three to four weeks. That it is 
common in China the paper-hangings from thence will 
every where teftify. It is alfo met with in the Eaft In¬ 
dies, the iflands of Java, Madagafcar, and many others. 
Our late navigators (aw them at Tongataboo in vaft num¬ 
bers, as well as in the ifland of Tanna, and other parts- 
It is alfo common in the fouthern p.irts of America. Both 
the Greeks and Romans, notwithflanding their voracious 
luxury, abftained from eating the porphyrio. They 
brought itTrom Lybia, fron.i Comagene, and from the 
Balearic iflands, to be placed in their palaces and temples, 
w here it w'as left at liberty as a gueft, whofe noble alpefl, 
gentle difpofition, and eleganf plumage, merited, as they 
thought, fuch honours. Inrefpeci: to its manners, it is a 
very docile bird, being eaflly tamed, and made to feed 
with the pouljry, fcratching the ground with the foot as 
the cock and hen. It will feed on many things, fuch as 
fruit, roots of plants, and grain ; but will eat fiflt with 
avidity, dipping them into the water before it fwallows 
them: it will frequently ftand on one leg, and lift the food 
to its mouth with the other, like a parrot. A pair of 
thefe, kept in an aviary, made a neft of fmall flicks, 
mixed with a quantity of ftraw, and laid fix white eggs, 
perfectly round ; but the lien was carelefs of them, and 
they came to nothing. The flefli is faid to be exquifite 
in tafte. See a correct figure of this bird in the annexed 
engraving. 
9. Fulica violacea, the violet gallinule ; body dark 
violet, blue beneath the neck, front and legs red; vent 
white. Inhabits as the laft. 
10. Fulica Carthagena, the Carthagena gallinule; 
this fpecies is diftinguiflied by a bare or naked place on its 
forehead, which is of a fine blue colour. The body is 
wholly of a rufous brown ; and it is about the fize of the 
common coot. It inhabits the banks of the rivers and 
waters about Carthagena. 
D d SI, Fu- 
