Stat. r. coast-, (hillside-) brushes 15
Back, breast slaty-gray; wings brown; crown, throat, abdomen white; sides spotted black; f., sim.
F. 19. Gouridae, Crowned Pigeons, 8 sp. A. (N.G.).
F. 20. Didunculidae, Tooth-billed Pigeons, 1 sp. A. (Samoa).
F. 21. Opisthocomidae, Hoactzin, 1 sp. Nl.
The birds of Order V. are amongst the successes in the struggle for existence, for they are found the world over.
The Landrail or Corn-Crake, the Little Crake, Spotted Crake, Moor-Hen, Purple Gallinule, and the lobed-toed Coot, of other countries, are represented by similar birds here.
They are largely swamp-dwellers, and conditions about swamps apparently do not vary much from continent to continent. There is a full supply of vegetable and animal food, and there is good shelter in the thick reed-beds. The smaller members of the family are seldom seen, for they skulk amongst the reeds, and seldom show themselves.