Speaking of the bird as seen by him im China, Mr. Swinhoe says :—‘ This is, | think, a summer visitant ;
it is not uncommon during that season from Canton to Tientsin.” ‘I saw it in a cage for sale at the city
gate, and was informed that it had been caught in the neighbourhood of Canton.” ‘At Amoy it is a rare
spring straggler.” In Formosa, “these birds were not uncommon about Taiwanfoo in summer, and at
Tamsuy I procured several examples in March; but I cannot be sure as to their spending the winter in
Formosa. In South China they are, I believe, birds of passage. Their eggs vary in shade of cream ground-
colour, and are spotted and blotched, in some cases only freckled with cinnamon-red and light purplish grey.
Length 1-65 in.; breadth 1°15.” In Hainan, “ this Moorhen was common everywhere about the lowlands.
I saw it within the walls of Kiungchow city, and frequently in the country in its neighbourhood. Also at
Heongpoo (W. Hainan).”

The sexes are alike in plumage, and may be thus described :—

Crown of the head, back of the neck, sides of the breast, and anterior portion of the flanks deep slate-grey,
bounded anteriorly by a broad line of deep black ; upper surface, wings, and tail deep olive ; forehead, face,
throat, anterior half of the neck, breast, and abdomen white; remainder of the abdomen, vent, and under
tail-coverts deep chestnut; irides brownish red; bill light green, with a patch of orange at the base of the
upper mandible ; legs and feet wax-yellow.

The figures are of the natural size.

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