File:The genera of birds (19328039665).jpg

(, \l I.IM'UN K
Tribonyx Dubus.*
Hill shorter than the head ; the culmen elevated, slightly advancing on the forehead, gradually
sloping and arched to the tip, with the sides compressed; the nostrils placed in a nasal groove, with the
opening near the middle of the bill. Wiiigs very short, tuberculated, with the fourth, fifth, and sixth
quills nearly equal and longest. Tail short and rounded. Tarsi longer than the middle toe, and
covered with transverse scales. Toes moderate, strong, the outer longer than the inner, and all covered
with strong scales ; the claws moderate and curved.
The Bpeoiee of* this genus arc peculiar to Australia. According to Mr. Gould these birds arc excessively shy, and arc
rarely observed, except on the ground. The nest occurs in sedge, and the eggs are usually six in number.
I. T. MorHeri Dubus, Bull. Acad. Sc. Brux. vii. 215. t. — I 2. T. ventralis (Gould), Proc. Z. S. 1 836. 85.
Brachyptrallus ralloldea La/r.
Gallinula Briss.f
Bill moderate, with the base of the culmen more or less extending on the forehead, and suddenly
curved at the tip ; the nostrils placed in a large nasal groove, with the opening near the middle of the
bill. Wings moderate, with the second, third, and fourth quills nearly equal and longest. Tail short
and rounded. Tarsi strong, shorter than the middle toe, and broadly scutellated in front. Toes very
long, divided at the base, margined throughout their length by a membrane, and the outer longer than
the inner.
The species of this genus are found in various parts of the world. They are mostly observed in the evening or early
twilight on the borders of rivers, lakes, and brooks, especially where the current is slow and deep, and the stream is
bordered with reeds and sedges, among which they retire during the day. These birds seem to prefer the water,
Bwimming with ease in a singular flirting manner, continually striking the water with their tails : when approached and
alarmed, they have recourse to diving, which they perform with ease, using their wings as fins ; or they take wing,
skimming along the surface to the first cover that is visible, where they remain concealed. On the land, these birds
walk about with facility, flirting up their tails at intervals; and are capable, by the compressed form of their bodies, of
running swiftly through covert and entangled herbage, and even of passing through very narrow openings. From the
length of their toes, they can move over considerable spaces of still water, on the yielding surface of the aquatic foliage.
Their food consists of slugs, worms, and insects, with various grains, &c. Their nest is usually formed in a retired
spot, among the reeds on the side of water. It is a thick mass of interlaced decayed flags, rushes, &c, in which the
female deposits from eight to ten eggs. The young take to the water as soon as they are hatched, and are attentively
watched by their parents.
1. G. chloropus (Linn.) Lath. PI. enl. 877- — Fulica fusca Linn.
Gould's B. of Eur. pi. 342. ; G. parvifrons Blyth ; G. chloropus
var. indicus Blyth.
2. G. oricntali.s Horsf. Linn. Trans, xiii. 195. — Gallinula plum-
bea Vieill. ; G. ardosiacea Vieill. Gal. des Ois. t. 268.
3. G. leucomelana Mull. & Sch. Verh. Nat. Gesch. Nederl. p. 158.
4. G. olivacea Meyen, Nova Act. &c. 1834. 109. t. 20.
5. G. phcenicura (Penn.) Ind. Zool. i9.pl. 9., PI. enl. 896. —
Gallinula javanica//«r.v/". ; G. erythrina Bechst. ; Fulica chinensis Bodd.
6. G. cristata Lath. — Fulica cinerea Gmel. ; Gallinula gularis et
G. lugubris Horsf.
7. ? G. neeina Less. Tr. d'Orn. 534.
8. G. galeata Pr. Max. Beitr. iv. 808., Pr. Bonap. Am. Orn. pi.
27- f. 1- — Gallinula chloropus & G. americanus Pr. Bonap., Audub.
B. of Amer. pi. 244.
9. G. crassirostris (Gray), Griff. An. Kingd. iii. p. 542. pi.
10. G. pileata Pr. Max. Beitr. iv. 802.
11. ? G. porphyrio'ides Less. Tr. d'Orn. 534.

• Established by C'hev. Dubus .Bull. Acad. Brux. vii. 215.) in 1837 ; and Brachyptrallus of Baron La Fresnaye (1840) is coequal,
  

t Established by Brisson (Ornithologie) in 1760. In 1800 or 1801, Lacepedc used Hydroy a/linn ; while, in 1831, M. Brehm employed