PAR 
tlie places of their habitual abode are not very remote. 
But they are never found except in marflies, or at the 
tides of pools and brooks. The flight of thefe birds is 
not lofty, but pretty rapid: in rifing they vent a flirill 
cry, which is heard far, and feems to bear fome refem- 
blance to that of the whiteowl. The poultry are alarmed, 
taking it for the fcream of a bird of prey, though the 
jacana is very remote from that tribe. Nature we might 
fuppofe has armed it for war, yet we know not any foe 
which it combats. It is reprefented on the annexed Plate, 
at fig. i. 
8. Parra nigra, the black jacana: hind claws very long ; 
legs cinereous ; head,, neck, tail, and body above, black. 
It inhabits Brafil, and is about the fame fize as the laft. 
The bill is of a faffron-colour; the front is rufous; the 
breaft, belly, and vent, brown ; quill-feathers green, 
tipt with brown ; the wing-fpurs are yellow. 
9. Parra Brafilienfis, the Brafilian jacana: hind claws 
very long ; body greenifh-black. It inhabits Brafil and 
Guiana. The Brafilians call it agua-pecaca. The name 
porphyrion , which Barrere has given it, feems intended 
to denote its red feet. The fame author fays that it is 
common in Guiana, where it inhabits the pools of frefh 
water, and the meres; it is ufually feen in pairs, though 
fometimes twenty or thirty flock together. There are 
always fome in fummer feen round the town of Cayenne; 
and in the rainy feafon they appear even in the open 
parts of the town ; they lurk among the rufhes, and live 
on filh and water-infe&s. In Guiana, as well as in Brafil, 
there are four or five varieties of this fpecies, which are 
known under different names. They fit on the broad 
leaves of the water-lily; and the natives give them the 
appellation of hinhin, expreflive of their fhrill note. 
10. Parra viridis, the green jacana : hind-claws long, 
yellow; legs yellowifh-green ; body blackifh-green. It 
inhabits Brafil; and is of the fize of a pigeon. The bill 
is partly red, and partly yellow; the front is red; the 
head, neck, and breaft, are of a gloffy-violet; the toes are 
very long. 
11. Parra variabilis, the variable jacana: liind-claws 
long ; legs bluifh. This is alfo denominated “ the fpur- 
winged water-hen,” and is about nine inches long. The 
colour of the bill is of an orange-yellow. On the fore¬ 
head is a flap of red fkin ; the crown of the head is brown, 
marked with fpots of a darker colour; the hind part of 
the neck is much the fame, but of a deeper dye. On the 
fore part of the wing is a yellow fpur. The legs and 
claws are of a bluifh afh. This fpecies'inhabits Brafil; 
and is faid to be pretty common about Carthagena, and 
in other parts of South America. 
12. Parra Luzonienfis, the Luzonian jacana: beneath 
white; toes long; legs black. This fpecies is found in 
the marlhy and maritime parts of the Manilla iflands; 
and is about the fize of the lapwing. Bill of a greyifli 
colour, ftraight, and a little enlarged at the end : top of 
the bead deep brown; over the eye a ftripe of white, 
palTing down on each fide the neck, and changing into 
pale-yellow behind the eye: through the eye another 
ftripe of an afh-colour accompanies the firft quite down 
to the wing; the back is brown; the under parts, from 
chin to vent, white, except a large fpot of brown on the 
breaft ; at the bend of the wing is a fharp fpur ; the fmaller 
wing-coverts are white, the others pale brown, tranf- 
verfely barred with black ; the fecond quills white ; the 
prime ones black ; from the three laft of thefe arife three 
naked {hafts, two inches long, and ending in a lance- 
fhaped feathered point ; they lpring from the middle of 
the fhaft of the feather to which they belong, the fhaft 
appearing as divided or branching into two at that part; 
the toes and claws are very long, as in the others, and of 
a dufky-black. 
13. Parra Africana, the African jacana: colour pale 
cinnamon ; toes long ; legs greenifh-black. Length 
nine inches and a half. Bill dufky, of a pale brownifh 
R A. 639 
horn-colour at the tip; forehead bare. The upper parts 
of the plumage of a very-pale cinnamon-colour; chin 
and throat white; breaft of a tawny yellow, mottled and 
barred on the fides of it and the neck with black; the 
under parts like the back, but darker; greater quills 
black; on the inner part of the bend of the wing a fhort 
blunt fpur; through the eye, parting to the hind part of 
the neck, quite to the back, black; legs greenifh black ; 
hind claw an inch and a half in length. Inhabits Africa; 
reprefented at fig. 2. 
14. Parra Sinenfis, the Chinefe jacana: toes very long; 
legs greenifh ; body claret-colour. This fpecies is much 
larger than the laft, approaching nearly to the fize of the 
golden pheafant; and is in length, including the tail, 
twenty-one inches. Bill dufky blue; crown of the head, 
forehead, and all beneath, as far as the breaft, pale cine¬ 
reous cream-colour; back part of the head black, of the 
neck yellow, divided from the white before by a line of 
black on each fide; the body vinaceous red; wing-co¬ 
verts white, quills black; tail very long. It is fuppofed 
to inhabit China, having been feen among fome fine 
drawings done in that country. It alfo inhabits the Eaft- 
Indies. See fig. 3. 
15. Parra chavaria, the faithful jacana: crefted ; toes 
long, legs tawny. This is the largeft of the genus; and 
Hands a foot and a half from the ground. The bill is 
conic, a little bent, and of dirty-white colour; the up¬ 
per mandible as in the cock ; noftrils oblong, pervious ; 
on both fides, at the bafe of the bill, is a red membrane, 
which extends to the temples ; in the middle of this are 
placed the eyes ; the irides are brown. The hind head 
is furniflied with about a dozen blackifh feathers, three 
inches in length, which form a creft; thefe hang down¬ 
wards ; the reft of the neck, which is pretty long, is co¬ 
vered with a thick black down, but under the bill and 
temples it is of a pure white. The body is brown ; the 
wings and tail blackifh, clouded with grey; tail fhort; 
on the bend of the wing appear two or three fpurs half 
an inch in length ; belly black, but lefs deep; the thighs 
are half-way bare of feathers ; knee-joints thick and 
fwelling; legs very long, ftrong, and of a yellowifh-red 
colour. 
This bird inhabits the lakes, &c. near the river Cinu, 
about thirty leagues from Carthagena, in South America, 
and is faid to feed on vegetables. Its gait is folemn and 
flow ; but it flies eafily and fwiftly. It cannot run, un- 
lefs aflifted by the wings at the fame time. When any 
part of the fkin is touched by the hand, a crackling is 
felt, though it is very downy beneath the feathers ; and 
indeed this down adheres fo clofely as to enable the bird 
at times to fwim. The voice is clear and loud, but far 
from agreeable. The natives, who keep poultry in great 
numbers, have one of thefe tame, which goes along with 
the flock about the neighbourhood to feed during the day, 
when this faithful fhepherd defends them againft birds of 
prey; being able, by means of the fpurs upon the wings, 
to drive ofF birds as big as the carrion-vulture, and even 
that bird itfelf. It is fo far of the greateft ufe, as it 
never defertsthe charge committed to its care, bringing 
them all home fafe at night. It is fo tame as to fuffer it¬ 
felf to be handled by a grown perfon ; but will not per¬ 
mit children to touch it. For this account we are in¬ 
debted to Linnxus, who feems to be the only ornithologift: 
that has given any account of this lingular bird. 
16. Parra Indica, the Indian jacana: blackifh-blue ; 
back and wings brown ; eye-brows white ; a red fpot at 
the gape of the mouth. It is found in many parts of 
India, among the marfhes, and builds a floating neft. 
The bill is yellow, the bafe above is bluifh; the legs are 
of a yellowifh-brown. 
PAR'RAL, a town of Mexico, in the province of New 
Bifcay, on a river which runs into the Conchos : 230 
miles north of Durango, and 550 north of Mexico. Lat. 
28.10. N. Ion. 105.12. W. 
PARRAMAT'TA; 
