Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/592

 580 GALLINULE GALLIPOLI and flies well ; when travelling far its flight is high, but low and short in its feeding or breed- ing grounds ; it alights with the wings spread upward like the rail; the rapid jerking mo- tions of the tail when alarmed are very re- markable; it sometimes alights on ships 200 Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio Martinica). or 300 miles from land. Its flesh is not gener- ally held in estimation. It breeds at the south, very early in the year; the nest is built of rushes, 2 or 3 ft. from the ground, and is about 10 in. in diameter on the inside; the eggs, from five to seven, are of a light grayish yel- low, with blackish brown spots; the young, at first nearly black, are fully fledged by the first of June. In the genus gallinula (Briss.) the bill is shorter and less stout, the tarsi are stronger, and the toes are margined by a slight membrane throughout their length, though in no way comparable to the pedal lobes in. the coot. There are about 12 species in various Florida Gallinulo (Gallinula galeata). parts of the world, living on the borders of slow and deep streams edged with reeds; they are more aquatic than the preceding ge- nus, preferring water to land, swimming well and striking the water with the tail ; they are excellent fliers and divers, and swim under water by means of their wings ; they also walk well, flirting up their tails, and run swiftly among the reeds and through narrow places ; they can pass lightly over the leaves of aquatic plants ; they eat slugs, worms, insects, grains, &c. ; the nest resembles that of porphyrio, the number of eggs is eight to ten, and the young take to the water as soon as hatched. The American species is the Florida gallinule (G. galeata, Licht.), very closely resembling the G. chloropm (Linn.) of Europe; the principal differences seem to be that in the American bird the frontal plate is quadrate instead of acute, and the toes are longer. The head, neck, and under parts are deep bluish gray, black- ish on the head and neck, and lighter on the ab- domen; few feathers on the sides edged with white; lower lid, lateral lower tail coverts, edge of wing at shoulder, and outer edge of first primary, white; back and wings deep olive, darker on the rump ; quills dark brown ; tail brownish black ; frontal plate and bill bright red, tipped with yellow ; bare space on the tibia next to the feathers red ; rest of legs yellowish green. The length to end of tail is about 13 in., extent of wings 22; weight 12 oz. The female is like the male. This species is common in the winter along the rivers, ponds, and lakes, from eastern Florida to Texas, whence it migrates in spring and summer to the Carolinas, and occasionally even to the middle and northern states ; it is also found in South America. It is both nocturnal and di- urnal in its habits, often seeking for food on land, walking and nipping insects and grass like the common fowl ; it is rarely seen on salt water, but sometimes in the winter visits the banks of bayous in which the water is brackish. The nest is generally a few feet from the water, among the rankest weeds ; the eggs, about an inch and a half long, are of a dull dark cream color, with reddish brown and umber spots and dots ; when the female leaves her nest she covers the eggs to protect them from crows and other enemies, and both sexes incubate ; if not disturbed, they will hatch several broods in a season. GALLIC, Jnnins, a brother of the philosopher Seneca, adopted by the rhetorician Junius Gal- lio, whose name he assumed, died in A. D. 65. In 53 and 54 he was proconsul of Achaia under Claudius, and resided at Corinth, where he re- fused to listen to charges brought by the Jews against the apostle Paul on "a question of words and names, and of your law " (Acts xviii. 12-17). According to Jerome, he com- mitted suicide. From him the name of Gal- lionism has been applied to indifference to di- versities of religion. GALLIPOLI (anc. Callipolis), a town of Tur- key, in the vilayet of Edirneh, 120 m. W. S. W. of Constantinople ; pop. about 50,000. It is on a peninsula at the N. E. extremity of the Dar- danelles, and was formerly well fortified. Its streets are narrow, dirty, and ill built, but its bazaars are large and abundantly supplied with