_Gallinula galeata._
_Gallinula chloropus_, +Bon.+—Aud. pl. 244.
_Gallinula galeata_, +Licht.+
[119] Length 13¹⁄₂ inches, expanse 20¹⁄₂, flexure 6¹⁄₂, tail 2³⁄₄,
rictus 1²⁄₁₀, breadth of shield ¹⁄₂, height from base of lower
mandible to top of shield 1, tarsus 2¹⁄₂, middle toe 3. Hind claw
smallest.
By a confusion of terms this species is called in Jamaica the Coot,
while the following is known by the name of Water-hen.
This bird is scarcely to be distinguished from the European Moor-hen,
in appearance or in manners. It delights in any water where there is
cover; sometimes a swiftly running stream, as Sweet River, where the
bushes dip their branches into the water, or the margins are fringed
with high weeds; but more usually large ponds, in which tall and
thick bulrushes densely grow, or masses of the great ginger-fern. On
approaching such a piece of water early in the morning, or at any hour
of the day, if the place be unfrequented, we may see the Gallinules
playing on the surface, some by their black plumage and scarlet
shields, known to be females, the browner males less dressy, as becomes
their sex, and some smaller and greyer, which are young. As they swim
to and fro, they utter a loud _cluck_ at short intervals; but on alarm
each one sounds the note in a higher key, and the whole company dashes
into the cover. Here they continue to call to one another; but if much
pressed, they lie close, or conceal themselves in some way, so as to
elude search even in a very small area; probably by keeping under
water, holding on the roots of the rushes. But if the observer remain
quite silent and concealed, in about half an hour the _cluck_ is again
raised, and they begin cautiously to re-emerge, and play at the margin
of the reeds. I think the sense of sight is less acute with them than
that of hearing.
One which I slightly wounded, on my carrying it by the legs, repeatedly
turned up its head to bite; its force, however, was insufficient
to break the skin, though it could pinch a little. Another in
similar circumstances, I also found vicious in its attempts, though
ineffective. On arriving at home, I wished to observe its manners in
the water more closely, and for this purpose I fastened a cord to its
foot, having bandaged it to prevent its being hurt or cut, and then
let it swim in the pools of Bluefields River. Its first impulse was to
dive, and then to swim along about a foot beneath the surface, which it
did for a considerable distance, aiding its progress by striking out,
not only the feet, but also the wings, which were expanded. It thus
reminded me of a turtle. When immerged, the whole plumage was coated
with a pellicle of air, which had a singular and beautiful effect. When
it swam at the surface, little of the body but the back was exposed,
and sometimes only the neck and head. It made constant efforts to
reach the weeds and grass at the margins, and if allowed to do so,
crept in among them, and remained motionless. Sometimes, when thus
retired, it put its whole head beneath the water, and remained still,
so long that I feared it was drowned; but on being touched, it raised
its head uninjured. It seemed unwilling to walk; perhaps because its
legs were stiff, from having been held in the hand; on a boarded floor,
it could only shuffle along on its belly: and on the turf, it seemed
capable of maintaining a walking posture only as long as its motion
was rapid; the moment its speed abated, its breast came to the ground,
owing to the backward position of its legs. Its fœcal discharges, when
first secured, were a thin black mud, but afterwards were merely a
clear water, slightly tinged with green.
The belly in these birds is always protuberant; the intestines being
both very long and very large; the cæca are also enormous. The stomach,
a very large and muscular gizzard, is usually filled, as well as the
craw and intestine, with a greenish earth, which under a lens is seen
to contain much organized matter, as minute seeds, decaying leaves,
&c. From the circumstance of an excessive quantity of matter being
taken into the stomach, containing a comparatively small proportion of
nutritive substance, we see the need of the digestive organs being both
capacious and lengthened.
The young of the season have the legs and feet of their full size and
development, while the feathers of the wings are only beginning to
protrude; showing how subordinate the organs of flight are to those of
swimming.
Early in December we found an egg in Mount Edgecumbe pond, undoubtedly
of this species, for no other large bird frequents it. It was larger
than a hen’s egg, but more regularly oval: and appeared to have been of
a pale blue tint, but covered with a coat of white chalky substance. It
was lying on some crushed reeds at the surface, but evidently had been
floating a long time, for it was discoloured, and the contents were
coagulated by decomposition.