_Description._--Above dark olive-brown, with small white spots: beneath black, barred across with white: whole length 5·5 inches, wing 3·0, tail 1·3. _Hab._ Argentina and Patagonia. The type specimen of this little Crake was obtained during the voyage of the 'Beagle,' on board the ship, when in the Rio Plata. Another specimen was captured off the coast of Uruguay and brought alive to England in 1876. An example of the same species in the Paris Museum was procured by d'Orbigny in Patagonia. 377. PORPHYRIOPS MELANOPS (Vieill.). (LITTLE WATERHEN.) +Ortygometra melanops+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 505 (R. Uruguay). +Porphyriops melanops+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 140; _iid. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 461, et 1869, p. 634 (Buenos Ayres); _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 195 (Buenos Ayres). _Description._--Above olivaceous; head darker; wings brown; wing-coverts tinged with chestnut; outer secondaries more or less distinctly margined with white: beneath cinereous; middle of belly and crissum white; flanks olivaceous, spotted with white; bill dark olive, with the tip yellowish; feet hazel: whole length 9·0 inches, wing 5·0, tail 2·0. _Female_ similar. _Hab._ South America. In the southern part of the Argentine country the Little Waterhen is a summer visitant, and very abundant in the marshes along the Plata. In language and habits it is like the Coots: it is not often seen on land, and feeds principally as it swims about in a jerky manner among the floating weeds. It appears in October, migrating exclusively, I think, by night; and after the autumnal departure an individual is rarely seen. By day they are shy and retiring, but scatter abroad in the evening, frequently uttering their hollow mysterious cry, called _the witch laugh_ by superstitious people, and resembling a sudden burst of hysterical laughter, the notes beginning loud and long, becoming brief and hurried as they die away. 378. GALLINULA GALEATA (Licht.). (AMERICAN WATERHEN.) +Gallinula galeata+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 505 (Rio Paraná); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 140; _iid. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 462; _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 627 (Buenos Ayres); _Barrows, Auk_, 1884, p. 277 (Entrerios). _Description._--Above grey; middle of back and wings olivaceous brown: beneath grey, whitish on the middle of the belly; bend of the wing, stripes on the flanks, and sides of crissum pure white; middle of crissum and tail black; frontal shield and bill red, the latter tipped with yellow; feet olive varied with yellow; naked portion of shank scarlet: whole length 15·0 inches, wing 7·5, tail 5·5. _Female_ similar. _Hab._ North and South America. The American representative of our familiar Waterhen extends into the western provinces of the Argentine Republic. Mr. Barrows tells us it is abundant on the Lower Uruguay, and Dr. Burmeister met with it on the Paraná.