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HYDROPHASIANUS SINENSIS,

Chinese J acana.

> » All. - Zool., vol. ii. pl. 55.—Hodes. in Gr

Sykes in Proc. of Comm. of Sci. and Corr. of Zool. Soc. :
Gen. Zool., vol. xii. part i. p. 269.—Vieill. 2nd Edit. du N
Ib. Ency. Méth. Orn., part iii. p. 1056.—Jerd. in Madras

Chinese Jacana, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. v. p. 246.—Ib. Su
Ib. Gen. Syn. Supp., p. 256. iol, Wy

Parra Luzontensis, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. ii, p. 764.—Gmel. Edit. Linn. Syst. Nat., tom. i part ii. p. 709.—Vieill
2nd Edit. du Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. xvii. p. 447.—Ih, Ency. Meth, on a i D ae |

Le Chirurgien de 0 Isle de Lugon, Sonn. Voy. a la Nouv. Guinée, p. 82. pl. 45. | po

Luzonian Jacana, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. v. p. 245.—Ib. Supp., p. 256._Ib. Gen. Hist., vol. ix. p. 390.

Le Jacana a longue queue, Cuv. Regn. Anim., tom. i. p. 498.

Parra phenicura, Hodgs. in Gray’s Zool. Mise., p. 86 (Gray).

Hydrophasianus Sinensis, Wagl. in Oken’s Isis, 1832, p. 279.—Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. iii. p. 589.—
Gray, List of Birds in Coll. Brit, Mus., part iii. p. 114.—Ib. Cat. of Spec. and Draw. of Mamm. and
Birds presented to Brit. Mus. by B. H. Hodgson, Esq., p. 142.—Blyth, in Jard. Cont. to Orn. 1852,
p- 53.

Tringa chirurgus, Scopoli.

Hydrophasianus Chirurgus, Blyth, Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 273.

Dal-Kukra, Hindoos, Blyth.

Bhépi or Bhenpi, Bengalese, Blyth.

Vuppi-pt, Sohna, Surdul and Sookdel, Lath.

Pee wa, at Cawnpore, Lath.

Pekwar, or Joll mor, Lath.

Water Peacock of the English, Lath.

709.—Gould,
ay’s Zool. Mise. p. 86.—
» part il. p. 164.—Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s
ouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. tom, vile pata
Journ. of Lit. and Sci., vol. xii. p. 204,

Pp., vol. ii. p. 324.—Lath. Gen, Hist., vol. ix, p. 391.—

 

Tuts species may certainly be considered one of the most elegant Jacanas yet discovered, and India may
well be proud of so graceful an ornament to her marshes, for a residence among which its entire structure is
most admirably adapted, its body being light and buoyant in the extreme, and the great expanse of its feet
and nails enabling it to traverse the floating herbage, leaves of the Nympheea, &c. with the greatest facility.
On the other hand, the filamentous or lancet-shaped terminations of the primaries would seem to militate
against any great powers of flight, and accordingly while those who have had opportunities of observing it
in a state of nature duly record the facility with which it swims and dives, they are silent as to its flight.
That -it ‘is widely diffused over India, is evidenced by the circumstance that Sfecutcus occur in most
of the collections sent from that country; it is also said to inhabit China and the Elibppmes: '

It has been stated that the Chinese Jacana undergoes a seasonal change, but I think that this has not
been clearly ascertained. To this point then I would direct the attention of those cae a a
opportunities of observing the bird in a state of nature. It is just possible that the ae é _ :
surface always white ; that the young males closely resemble them ; and tot fully adult males are distinguishec
by the style of plumage represented in the principal figure of the opposite Hates ee hat “A good
. In Sir William Jardine’s “ Contributions to Ornithology ” for 1852, Mr. Blyth inte ss i" bse os
notice of the habits of the Flydrophasianus occurs in the ‘Calcutta Sporting Review, ve . - ri ie a
birds,’ remarks the writer, ‘ breed during the rains, in flooded spots av ekG the a ie eae 7 one
forming a rude flat nest of grass and weeds, interwoven beoeatl aah fhe a - pentshaped
aquatic plant, which retain it buoyant on the surface; herein are oe : o ae nee ae eon
eggs, of an inch and a quarter in length. Their cece ee e Ne eae leaves or green
Jacanas to run with facility, apparently on the water, but in reality a oe i other veneer met
herbage meets their light tread. The food consists of the green ten a a ee a s.,
dependent on inundation for its production, and the numerous te ae In flight the legs are trailed
The cry is like that of a kitten in distress, whence them pe ae a with roped to these birds, that
behind like those of the Herons. The flesh is excellent. It 1s remarkable,