SOREE AND YELXOW-BREASTED GALLINULE. 45^1 



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XLIL GALLINULE. Gen. Birds. LXKV. 



Little American Water Hen, :^yw. 144.''^ — Latham, 'ixi. 409. SsREs, 



Soree, Catf/ij, i, jo.' — Le Rale de Virginie, De Buffon, viii. 165. — Lev. Mus. 



■^^ With a yellow bill : crdwD, hind part of the neck, back, tail, 



" and wings, of a rully brown, fpotted with black : coverts of 



the wing alone plain and more ferruginous : forehead, throat, and 



;great part of the front of the neck, of a deep black: cheeks, fides 



•of the neck, and breaft, of a fine blueifh afh-colour : belly and fides of 



a dirty white j the laft barred downwards with black : legs of a dull 



green. Rather larger than a Lark. 



Thefe birds naigrate in great numbers into Virginia tlie latter end Placi. 



Q^ September, and continue there about fix weeks. During that fpace 

 they are found in vaft multitudes in the marfhes, feeding on wild oats. 

 On their firfl: arrival they are exceedingly lean ; but foon grow fo fat 

 as to be unable to fiy. In that ftate they lie upon the reeds ; and the 

 Indians go in canoes and kill them Tvith their paddles, or cun them 

 down. It is faid that they have taken a hundred dozen in a morning. 

 They are moft delicious eating ; and, during the feafon, are found on 

 the tables of moft of the planters, for breakfaft, dinner, and fupper *. 



f^ With the crown and hind part of the Beck dark olivaceous ^,o, Yellow- 



brown, Ipotted with white: back plain brown: fcapulars brrastrd, 

 edged with yellowifh white: breaft dirty yellow : belly white: legs 

 brown. In Size leflTer than an Englijh Quail. 

 Inhabits the province of iWcyTor/^.—BL. Mus. PtAci, 



• Burnatys Travth, odlavo ed. 42. 



3 R 2 ' Bro 



