198 NEW ZEALAND NATURE STUDY BOOK 
The Pukeko or Swamp Hen. 
This bird is one of the most handsome and graceful of 
the New Zealand rails. It is found in considerable num- 
bers in swampy situations where the vegetation affords 
suitable cover and the moist ground furnishes a plentiful 
supply of food. 
Fig. 120.—Swamp Hen. 
In colour the back is bluish black, the breast indigo blue, 
the abdomen black, with a white patch under the tail. 
The body is long and oval, ending in a relatively long 
neck and small head. The stout.crimson bill is elevated 
at the base, widened on the forehead, and ends in a sharp 
point. The eye is well forward on the head and crimson. 
The legs are long, and hence well adapted for the purpose 
