LITTLE AMERICAN WATER-HEN. 
THIS bird seems generally considered as a 
Rail, rather than a Water-Hen. It is the 
Rallus Carolinus, of Linnaeus ; the Rallus 
Virginianus, or Virginian Rail, of Brisson, 
and of Buffon ; the American Rail, or Soree* 
of Catesby; the Rallus, Terrestris America- 
nus, of Klein ; the Gallinula Carolina, or So- 
ree Galiinule, of Latham ; and the Little Ame- 
rican W ater-Hen, of Edwards, whose name 
azid figure we have adopted. 
. The bird figured by Edwards was brought 
from Hudson's Bay; and he imagines Catesby's 
American Rail, or Soree, to be the Hen of 
mis species. " i have," says he, " also re- 
ceived a small Water-Hen from Sweden, 
which comes very near Mr. Catesby's, on com- 
parison with it. Mine differs principally from 
Mr. Catesby's, in having a blueish neck and 
breast, a black throat and ring round it's bill, 
and a whiter belly." 
We suspect that, by naturalists in general, 
this bird is confounded with the Fulica Fusca 
of Linnaeus : and, if the conjecture of Edwards 
be right, as above suggested, even Linnaeus 
has 
