420 GALLINULE. 



31.— SOREE GALLINULE. 



Galliiuila Carolina, Ltd. Orn. ii. 771. Frank/. Narr. App. p. 690. 

 Rallus Carolinus, Lin. i. 263. Cm. Lin. i. 715. 

 ■ Virginianus, Bartr. Trav. p. 294. 



— — — terrestris Americanus, Klein, Av. 103. 4. 

 Porphyrio freti Hudsonis, Bris. v. 541. Id. 8vo. ii. 356. 

 Rallus Virginianus, Rail, Amer. Orn. vi. pi. 48. f. 1. 

 Le Rale de Virginie, Bnf. viii. 165. 

 L'Ypeeaha a face noire, Voy. d'Asara, iv. No. 373. 

 Little American Water-Hen, Edw. pi. 144. 



Soree Gallinule, Gen. Si/n. v. 262. Arct. Zool. ii. No. 409. Cates. Car. i. pi. 70. 

 Burnab. Tr. 1G. 42. 



SIZE of a Quail, but stands higher on its legs; length from 

 eight to nine inches, and fourteen in breadth. Bii! one inch long, 

 and ye'Sow, base over the forehead bare ; irides red ; the crown and 

 upper parts of the head dull brown, spotted with black ; the face, 

 round the bill, the chin, and part of the neck before, black ; sides 

 of the head, neck, and breast, bluish ash-colour ; belly and sides 

 dusky white ; the last barred with black; body above brown ; back 

 and scapulars edged with white, appearing streaked ; outer edge of 

 the wing white ; quills and tail brown ; legs dusky green. 



Inhabits Virginia, at certain seasons, in vast plenty, and is called 

 Soree. Burnaby, in his Travels, mentions catching 100 dozen of 

 Sorusses in one night, by the Pamunky Indians, in King William's 

 Country. The manner of taking these birds is remarkable : the 

 Sorus is not known to be in Virginia, except for about six weeks, 

 from the latter end of September:* at that time they are found in 

 the marshes in prodigious numbers, feeding on the wild oats, and 

 seeds of reeds; at first they are exceedingly lean, " but in a short 

 •' time grow so fat, as to be unable to fly ; in this state they lie upon 

 "the reeds, and the Indians go out in canoes, and knock them down 



* The greater part of September and October they are sold at Philadelphia from half 

 a dollar, to a dollar per dozen. Disappear with the first frosts; some remain in Virginia 

 till the first v./, k in November. — Amer. Orn. 



