The Florida Ganinule, Qr Waler Hei)t, is fourteen inches long:
the hill öjae and a quarter to the corner of the mouth, and one
Éafi an eighth to thé p q ^ r to r portion 'of the clypeus.jifc is rod,
as ftolt M the' ftlyfsip^l with thé point greenish. This clypeus,
or bay©. fed membrane spreading evnr the forehead, w more
than h a lf an inch widtfbetween the eyes, Occupying a p e a t
porfton ofifbe head, and being posteriorly nut somewhat square
tto Vhiightly cordate; the reverse of what I* observed in the
Eufopean, which is ra th e r' pointed at this place, Tfc| whole
plhmage from the vdrybase is of a dark plumbeous hue, or sooty
biae%, the head and neck' being a shade darker, and the tower
poMon lighter arid more tinged with bluish, so that they might
be styled fotoereitos'. Thé mantle, that is, the whole, back with
the yéing^cov&rts, are highly tinged with olivaceous * the quills
are hlaekish, and the tail deep black, much more than in the other
allied species:. The under tail-eoverts are also deep black, with
the lateral pure white: the white also lines the wings externally
from all round the*shoulder, almost,.but not quite to the tip of
the outer-quill, which is white on half the outer part of its narrow
w^h : :a few white fongitudinal spots may likewise be seen ón the
under wing-coverts, and ttory large and- conspicuous ones along
thé flanks, and' h few whitish streaks mixed with the plumbeous
On.the belly.- The wings are nearly seveoinohe# long, and the
tail more than three. The fe©t are gFeeniSh, with a red ring like
a garter Siifroanding the tib ia : the hare space on this is nearly
three-qaSrtfers, and the tar^is two inches and three-eighths: the
mMdle toe witheut tfe nail is more than two and a half, and the
nail itself three-qharters: the lateral toes measure more than two,
and the hindj one and an e if^ th .; The sexes are precisely alike.
: S The little that is known, of the habits of this Gallinule does
not allow? us to dotlht th a t M' has all those of its ©lose analfgues.
It is common in Florida and; Jamafea. op the streams and pools,
and extends ©yep, a great portion of the-'southern continent of
America : .in .the^toiddle arid northern United ‘States it appears ,
to* he* q'uÿ.e. apcidental,„far although a few .well' authenticated
instances ,are kïïown of its having been seen, and shot, even as far •
a-is.,Albany in tho.state, of,New York, it has escaped the researches
snn. ■ ay,Well as ,my own. It, ia, by no 'means, therefore, a
M>hnn.nti hi.rd. .and ■:ia not known^as inhabiting arctic jAmçrl^a,
ranging much ffeaSyto . the north,« eye® as a straggler, than its
Fj|ynpean -analogues .Its. voièeis,«'sonorous* resembling Ko, Ko, K&!
, ,The genps Gallinula has .the bill shorter than the. head, rather
stonty. TOfcfcj hi#heEi,Lhan broad, taper in g,v c® impressed, straight,
convex at the * point: both mandibles arevfej^osyed,’* the Upper
=p#yef®s^l|margi»^ of-, the lower* is inclined a | ■ th© p@i.nt, and
iqtoqads at base into a naked ;membranè occupying the forehead.
This Conformation, found; also -in the', Fulicze, to which Linné
united, tjiem, more 5j-u^i;ciously than they have since been united
WjdLtthe RagM in WhichyAgfront ,is feathered,, is in my opinion
considerable importance : the,lower mandible is -navicular : the
longue- is moderate,, compressed', entire. The-, legs' hay© been
degc&bqd, among*#!© characters, of the family, the anterior toes
teiMg in all extremely long, flattened beneath, and’bordered by a
harrow membrane, which .©ireUmstamee' alone distinguishes th©
Gallinules.from the, Sppta,. that have a broad membrane cut into
festoon^ The hind, toe, bpars on the ground with seyeral joints :
the nailsaf©' compressed, ! subarched, arid rather aéute. The
wings are ©onvéx, rqjtn^ed, the first primary is shorter than the
fifth,, th e ^ em te n d - third Japjng longest. The tail-is so short as
hardly Jq. apjqéiaf&froqj). .under jhe eoverts,.. Thte femal-es scarcely
differ frpip .the;toS^s,,but the young are different from the adults;
.They^m'qult „annually.
- -T,hq. f^ipdÿ Macrodaçtyli, or Kallidæ, when restricted to thé five
généra qf -Which we' compose- ,iV‘(®ne being /'«/iw,' which, nothing
. VfiL. iv.- S a