them might even be called water-fowl. They usually prefer sedgy lakes,
large swampy morasses and brooks, or ponds and rivers well stocked with
vegetation, but are without exception restricted to fresh water. They are
generally seen swimming about in open spaces. They run with less agility
than the Rails, but far surpass them in their powers of swimming and
diving. Although these birds are by no means social in disposition, they
show a remarkable attachment to any locality of which they have taken
possession, keeping others, even of their own species, at a distance,
and sometimes exhibit resolute courage in driving away intruders much
larger and stronger than themselves. They also attack small birds with
murderous rancour, and are very destructive to young fledglings. On the
other hand, they are tenderly attached to their own progeny, both parents
exerting themselves for their defence and support, and evincing the
greatest affection for each other. The nest is always built either among
or in the immediate vicinity of the water-plants that abound in their
favourite resorts. The female lays from four to twelve smooth-shelled and
spotted eggs; the nestlings when first hatched are clad in dark-coloured
down. As soon as the young are capable of exertion, they and the parent
quit the place of their birth and wing their way, in some instances
farther south, or merely to a more favourable situation, where they remain
till after the moulting season.
[Illustration: _Plate 35. Cassell's Book of Birds_
HYDROPHASIANUS SINENSIS ____ CHINESE JACANA
(_about ½ Nat. size_)]
* * * * *
The GALLINULES (_Porphyrio_), the most beautiful of the European
_Gallinulæ_, and known in some countries as the Sultan's Chickens, were
regarded by the ancient Greeks and Romans almost as objects of religious
worship, and were kept in the neighbourhood of their temples, as though
under the special protection of the gods. Even at the present day they
are less persecuted than many of their congeners, probably on account of
the beauty of their plumage. The members of this group are moderate-sized
but powerfully built birds, distinguished by their strong, hard, thick,
and very deep beak, which is of about the same length as the head, and
at its base expands into a broad callosity, that spreads over the region
of the forehead. The tarsi are long, and the feet strong, with large,
widely-separated toes. Their wings are of moderate length, the plumage
smooth, and remarkable for its rich colouring. These birds are generally
to be met with in swampy localities, in the vicinity of fields of corn, or
in rice-fields, which as they are almost constantly under water, seem to
suit them as well as their favourite marshes. As regards their food, the
Sultan's Chickens differ in no respect from the rest of the family. During
the breeding season, they are constantly prowling about the ponds in
search of the nests of other birds, which they plunder in the most daring
manner. Their thefts are by no means restricted to attacks on smaller
species; they rifle the larger ones with utter recklessness, so that in
any marsh frequented by the Gallinules the broken egg-shells testify to
their destructive habits; they likewise often lay in wait for Sparrows
after the manner of a cat before a mouse-hole; a single blow with their
powerful beak at once destroys their victim, which is speedily torn to
pieces and eaten. Tristram mentions having seen an imprisoned bird thus
devour young Ducks.
THE HYACINTHINE PORPHYRIO.
The HYACINTHINE PORPHYRIO (_Porphyrio hyacinthinus_) has the face and fore
part of the neck of a beautiful bright blue; the hinder part of the head,
neck, and belly and thighs are dark indigo-blue, as are the breast, back,
wing-covers, and quills, but these last are more vivid in their tints;
the region of the vent is white; the eye is pale red, surrounded by a
narrow circle of yellow; the beak and its prolongation over the forehead
are brilliant red, and the feet yellowish red. The length of this bird is
about eighteen inches and breadth thirty-two inches. In young birds the
plumage of the back is greyish blue, and the under parts speckled with
white. The Hyacinthine Porphyrio occupies the marshy districts of Spain
and Italy, and is probably also to be found in North-western Africa. In
North-eastern Africa it is represented by a nearly-allied species, called
by the Arabs the "Dickme," to which we have given the name of _Porphyrio
chloronotus_.
This species is to be seen in numbers, which vary with the season of the
year, in Sardinia, Sicily, the lake district of the eastern coast of
Spain, in the neighbourhood of Albufera de Valencia, upon the coast of
Valencia, and near Algiers. Although usually migratory in their habits,
many of these birds remain throughout the winter in the vicinity of their
breeding-places. In their deportment they remind us of our own Water-hens,
but they have a prouder gait, and step with greater freedom. Their toes
spread out so widely that they cover a considerable surface, and each
stride is accompanied with a jerking movement of the tail; they are able,
moreover, half fluttering and half running, to make their way over a
floating surface of aquatic plants. They likewise swim with considerable
facility, lying lightly upon the water, and as they row themselves along,
constantly bow with their head, as though keeping time with the strokes
of their feet. When upon the wing, the beauty of their plumage is fully
displayed; their flight, however, is inelegant, they rise unwillingly
into the air, and fluttering onwards, fall quickly to the ground, always,
if possible, among high reeds, sedge, or rice, amongst which they at
once hide themselves. During flight, their long legs hang down behind,
and render them easily recognisable at a distance. Their voice somewhat
resembles the cackling or clucking of a Hen, reminding us at the same
time of that of the Water-hen, but it is of stronger and deeper tone.
Like the rest of the family, which it closely resembles in its general
habits, this species eats the tender shoots of young corn, grass, and
various kinds of grain. When the breeding season approaches, the mated
pairs generally resort to rice-fields, and settle down in some place of
concealment among the reeds and rushes. Their nest, which floats upon the
top of the water, is but a rude agglomeration of dry grass, rice-straw,
reeds, and other similar materials. In this roughly-constructed cradle,
the female about the end of May lays from three to five eggs, of somewhat
elongated shape, with a smooth polished shell, the ground colour of which
is dark silvery grey or reddish brown. When first hatched the young are
dressed in a suit of dark grey down, their beak, forehead, and legs being
of a blueish tinge. They soon learn to swim about and to dive, but their
parents continue to watch over them for a considerable period with great
tenderness. According to Jerdon, this species is said to destroy large
numbers of Wild Ducks' eggs, by sucking them; and one of these birds has
been seen to seize a duckling in its huge foot, crush its head, and eat
out the brains, leaving the rest untouched.
THE PURPLE GALLINULE.
The PURPLE GALLINULE (_Porphyrio chloronotus_) is indigo-blue upon the
nape and fore-part of the wing, and bright blue on the front of the neck.
The breast is indigo-blue, gradually shaded to a slaty-black on the belly.
The mantle is dark green. The eye is yellowish brown, the beak blood-red,
and the foot brick-red. This species is seventeen inches long and thirty
broad. The Purple Gallinule is principally found in the lake districts of
Lower Egypt, its presence extending thence east over Syria and the region
watered by the Euphrates. As far as our observations enable us to judge,
it is a bird of passage, and makes its appearance in Egypt about the end
of April, leaving that country in September. It does not, as far as we
could learn, ascend the Nile, nor did we ever see it in the countries
through which the Upper Nile passes. Its general habits closely resemble
those of the species above described.
* * * * *
The WATER-HENS (_Stagnicola_) are recognisable by the structure of their
beak, which is of conical form and compressed at its sides, its base being
prolonged over the forehead, and its cutting edges finely denticulated.
The feet are large, with long toes, furnished at the sides with broad,
web-like folds of skin; the wings are broad and obtuse, the third quill
being the longest; the tail is short, and formed of twelve feathers. The
plumage is thick and luxuriant.
These birds are more aquatic in their habits than the Rails; they
swim with great facility, disporting themselves upon the surface in a
singular manner, and continually striking the water with their tails.
When approached or alarmed, they have recourse to diving, employing their
wings to assist their progress under water, or take flight, skimming along
close to the surface till they reach a place of shelter. On the land
they move with ease, whisking with the tail at intervals as they walk,
and are enabled by the compressed shape of their bodies to run rapidly
through coverts or thick herbage. From the length of their toes, they
can also walk over considerable spaces of still waters, supported on the
floating foliage of aquatic plants. The borders of rivers and lakes are
their favourite resorts, especially when the current is slow and deep, and
the stream bordered with rocks and herbage, as the latter affords a safe
shelter during the day. The food of these birds consists of slugs, worms,
and insects, together with various kinds of grain and vegetable matter.
The nest is a thick mass of interlaced grasses, rushes, and flags, and is
generally placed in a retired spot among the reeds by the water-side.
THE COMMON GALLINULE, OR MOOR-HEN.
The COMMON GALLINULE, or MOOR-HEN (_Stagnicola_, or _Gallinula
chloropus_), is, notwithstanding the plainness of its attire, a very
beautiful bird. The plumage of the back is dark olive-brown, elsewhere
dark slate-grey; the thighs are spotted with white, the region of the vent
is pure white. The colour of the eye is peculiar; immediately round the
pupil is a circle of yellow, to which succeeds a second of green, while a
third exterior ring is red. The beak towards its base is vermilion-red,
towards its apex yellow; the foot greenish yellow. The length of this bird
is twelve inches, its breadth twenty-three inches; the length of the wing
seven inches and a half, and the length of the tail three inches and a
half.
The habitat of the Moor-hen extends all over Europe and a considerable
portion of Asia, but it is seldom seen in Africa. In Europe, with the
exception of the high northern latitudes, it is everywhere common. In
England it is met with at all seasons, whilst in Germany it is a bird of
passage, arriving about the end of March, and departing in October; some
few, however, remain all through the winter. These birds generally travel
by night, and probably on foot, at least some of them have been captured
under circumstances that lead to such a supposition. In early spring they
usually arrive in pairs, in the vicinity of their breeding-places, but
occasionally they come singly. Naumann, who watched a pair of Moor-hens
from his garden for several consecutive years, sometimes observed that
the males and sometimes the females appeared first; on one occasion the
female came alone, and seemed to use her best endeavours to get a partner
to join her, but in vain, until at length, after a fortnight's sojourn,
she disappeared. On another occasion the male arrived by himself, and
seemed by no means to consider his solitary condition as one of single
blessedness; day and night he reiterated his call-note, almost without
intermission, and sometimes in such a pitiable tone that it was almost
distressing to hear him, until at length, on the fifth evening, his
anxiously looked-for mate arrived, and put an end to his love-lorn
suspense. When a pair has once taken possession of a suitable pond they
are silent, but if a female is first upon the spot, she seems to invite
any passing male to join her. The individual so invited frequently flies
around her in wide circles, as though bethinking himself what he should
do; generally, however, he is content to pursue his journey alone, as is
made manifest by the renewed solicitations of the female.
Slow waters, the margins of which are thickly covered with sedge and
coarse grasses, or at least with reeds and brushwood, and partially
overgrown with floating herbage, afford the requisite conditions for their
residence. Each family of Moor-hens seems to prefer having a whole pond
to itself, and it is only on extensive pieces of water that several pairs
are to be met with, and even in this case each pair strives jealously to
keep possession of its own territory. There is something particularly
pleasing in the appearance of these graceful and well-proportioned birds
when undisturbed in their quiet pools. As they move, the points of their
wings cross each other, and their tail, held perpendicularly upwards, is
constantly kept moving in little jerks, their neck being bent into the
shape of the letter S, and their body laying horizontally on the water.
Occasionally they come on dry land to obtain a little repose, either on
a tuft of weeds, or on the bough of a tree, or sometimes on a piece of
floating wood. Here they employ themselves in preening and oiling their
feathers, preparatory to taking another swim, or to ensconcing themselves
among the rushes and thick grass. Their narrow and apparently compressed
bodies enable them to make their way with facility over weeds and leaves
floating upon the top of the water. Upon firm ground they move lightly
and gracefully, with long and measured steps, and should they be suddenly
surprised, they will rise and fly to their pond, with a flight somewhat
resembling that of a Barn-door Fowl. When on the water their power of
diving is extraordinary; at the slightest appearance of danger they vanish
like lightning, and having plunged beneath the surface, use both wings and
feet to row themselves along. Should they under these circumstances be
forced to come up again to breathe, only the beak is protruded, and that
under the protecting shelter of a tuft of herbage.
[Illustration: THE HYACINTHINE PORPHYRIO (_Porphyrio hyacinthinus_).
ONE-FOURTH NATURAL SIZE.]
[Illustration: HOME OF THE MOOR-HENS (_Gallinula chloropus_).]
The nest is usually placed among reeds on the ground, sometimes on the
bank at the edge of the pool, occasionally among roots of trees, or long
grass, or on branches overhanging the river, when there is danger of the
water rising and overwhelming the nest. This instinctive forethought is,
however, equalled, if not surpassed by the ready ingenuity of these birds
when such a danger unexpectedly arises, as the following account by Mr.
Selby will show: "During the early part of the summer of 1835, a pair of
Moor-hens built their nest by the margin of the ornamental pond by Bell's
Hill, a piece of water of considerable extent, and ordinarily fed by a
spring from the height above, but into which the contents of another large
pond can be occasionally admitted. This was done while the female was
sitting; and as the nest had been built when the water-level stood low,
the sudden influx of this large body of water from the second pond caused
a rise of several inches, so as to threaten the speedy destruction of the
eggs. This the birds seem to have been aware of, and immediately took
precaution against so imminent a danger; for when the gardener, seeing the
sudden rise of the water, went to look after the nest, expecting to find
it covered, and the eggs destroyed, or at least forsaken by the hen, he
observed, while at a distance, both birds busily engaged about the brink,
where the nest was placed, and when near enough he clearly perceived that
they were adding, with all possible dispatch fresh materials to raise the
fabric beyond the level of the increased contents of the pond, and that
the eggs had by some means been removed from the nest by the birds, and
were then deposited upon the grass, about a foot or more from the margin
of the water. He watched them for some time, and saw the nest rapidly
increase in height, but I regret to add that he did not remain long
enough, fearing he might create alarm, to witness the interesting act of
replacing the eggs, which must have taken place shortly afterwards, for
upon his return in less than an hour, he found the hen quietly sitting
upon them in the newly-raised nest. In a few days afterwards the young
were hatched, and, as usual, soon quitted the nest and took to the water
with their parents. The nest," continues Mr. Selby, "was shown to me soon
afterwards, and I could then plainly discern the difference between the
new and the older part of the fabric."
The construction of the Moor-hen's nest is a serious operation, in which
both parents assist. The materials made use of are leaves of various
kinds, both dry and fresh; these are piled upon each other, sometimes
apparently in a very slovenly manner, but at others with more care, so
that when completed the structure looks like a coarsely-made basket of
leaves, in the centre of which is a basin-shaped depression, wherein the
eggs, from seven to eleven in number, are deposited in the course of about
a fortnight. The eggs are of moderate size, the shells hard, fine-grained,
and smooth, but dull-looking. Their colour is pale rusty yellow, spotted
with violet-grey and ash-grey, and besprinkled with cinnamon and reddish
brown specks. Both sexes take a share in the incubation of the eggs, which
are hatched after the lapse of twenty or twenty-one days. The young remain
in the nest about twenty-four hours after their escape from the egg, at
the end of which time they are introduced by their mother to their new
element, the water, to which they are heartily welcomed by their male
parent. The family now begins to be a very interesting spectacle; the
young brood swims about, closely following the movements of the old birds,
all of them eagerly watching for worms or insects that their affectionate
caterers pick up for them; and as soon as they see one caught, all
simultaneously rush forward to obtain the coveted morsel. After a few
days, however, they learn how to obtain their own food, although they
are still carefully watched and protected from danger. At the slightest
warning they vanish; indeed, it is wonderful to see the celerity of their
movements. In about a fortnight they are able to shift for themselves,
and their elders begin to make preparations for rearing a second brood,
which, after the lapse of a few weeks, make their appearance upon the
water, and the scene we have just described is enacted over again, but
with additional circumstances that make it still more interesting. By the
time the second family show themselves, those of the first brood are half
grown up, and might be supposed to trouble themselves very little about
the additional members of their family; such, however, is by no means the
case; small and great, old and young, seem to meet each other in the most
affectionate manner. The half-grown birds at once begin to share with
their parents the labour of providing for their new brothers and sisters,
to whom they bring food in their beaks, and watch over them with the
greatest assiduity, just as their parents had done to them a few weeks
previously. As the number of the second brood is usually smaller than that
of the first, and the parent birds are not a bit less assiduous in helping
their younger than they were in providing for their elder children, the
latter grow rapidly; they generally swim in the middle of the little
flock, and are fed and cared for by all.
* * * * *
The COOTS (_Fulica_) are distinguished from the above birds by the
structure of their feet, the Water-hens having the toes bordered by simple
folds of the integument, whilst in the Coots these membranous folds are
scalloped, and more elaborately constructed. In conformity with such
enlargement of their feet, which make excellent oars, the members of this
group spend more of their time in water than on land. During the course
of the day, however, they frequently come on shore in order to repose
and preen their feathers. Upon level ground they run with considerable
facility, and in their powers of diving might compete with many of the
really web-footed birds. If alarmed, they at once plunge to a very
considerable depth, and when under water, row themselves along by means of
their feet and wings for a considerable distance before again rising to
the surface. It is probable that during these immersions they obtain the
greater part of the larvæ, worms, mollusca, and vegetable matter on which
they principally subsist. Although the flight of the Coots is somewhat
superior to that of the Common Gallinules, they but seldom take wing, and
when about to do so are compelled to run before rising into the air, in
order to obtain sufficient impetus. Should they endeavour to take flight
from the water, they are obliged to flutter along for some distance,
striking the surface with the soles of their feet, and splashing along in
such a noisy manner that they may be heard at a considerable distance. No
sooner have a pair of Coots selected a pond for their residence than they
immediately set about the important work of building their nest. On large
sheets of water, on which several couples may have taken up their abode,
this business is by no means an easy task, as many battles must be fought
before the question of appropriated territory is satisfactorily settled;
indeed, in localities where many of these birds have congregated, their
shrieking, splashing, and flying about seems interminable; no sooner does
one pair encroach upon the domain of another, than the invaded male at
once hastens to the combat, and furious encounters take place, until the
enemy is fairly driven away. Sometimes these engagements afford a very
interesting spectacle. The battle-field is generally some quiet creek,
in which the birds swim around each other, using the arms with which
Nature has provided them with all their might, hacking with their bills,
striking with their wings, and kicking with their feet, until one or other
is compelled to yield. These affairs settled, the labour of building is
at once commenced. The nests are placed near the water, either amidst or
upon aquatic plants that there abound; sometimes they are raised upon a
bed of reeds or similar matter, or float upon the surface of the pool. The
foundation of the nest is generally laid with dry reeds and stubble, while
the upper part is formed of finer material and more carefully arranged,
the interior is snugly lined with soft hay, rushes, and leaves. The eggs,
from seven to fifteen in number, are smooth-shelled, but lustreless. The
female does not begin to sit until the last egg is laid; the young make
their appearance in about twenty-one days; when first hatched they are
beautiful little creatures, clad in dark-coloured down, with flaming
red heads. They at once betake themselves to the water, where they are
carefully fed, tended, and valorously defended by both the parent birds.
At first they seem to prefer to keep themselves hidden among the reeds,
but at night they retire to the nest. As they get stronger they become
more independent, and even before they are fully fledged are well able
to provide for themselves. Although the flesh of the Coots is scarcely
eatable, they are nevertheless frequently killed for the sake of the
sport. In Italy great numbers are caught by means of nets, and they are
commonly sold in the markets at a very low price.
THE COMMON COOT.