ON THE HABITS OF THE COMMON COOT (Fulica atra, Linn.). 

 By Neville Wood, Esq.* 



The Common Coot belongs, according to the quinary system, as developed 

 by Vigors, to the fourth order of birds, Grallatores, and to the fourth family, 

 Rallidce ; an aberrant group, which has not as yet been divided into the five 

 sub-families which it must contain, supposing the arrangement now followed by 

 most of our eminent ornithologists to be a natural one. As zoological classifica- 

 tion is, however, at present, confessedly in its infancy, it would be a waste of space 

 and time to fatigue the readers of The Naturalist with further observations on 

 this subject. The specific names, common and atra, are neither of them unobjec- 

 tionable, but I am compelled to adopt them until better are proposed. 



The habits of the Coot do not appear to have been very minutely studied by 

 British naturalists, although so common a species in almost every part of the 

 kingdom ; indeed, its abundance would almost seem to be the cause of this 

 neglect. Thus, few birds are more cursorily noticed in most ornithological works 

 than the common House Sparrow, and yet, when we more closely examine its 

 habits, we find them by no means destitute of interest. 



The Coot is not particularly nice in the choice of its habitats, and is almost 

 certain to be found in moist situations ; it abounds, however, much more in some 

 localities than in others, and in general prefers large, unsheltered sheets of water, 

 of considerable depth, and where the weeds, rushes, &c, are not over luxuriant, 

 to the smaller pools, surrounded by woods, and choked up with herbage, which is 

 the typically favourite haunt of the Gallinule. The lake which pasess through 

 Foston, Derbyshire, is of the latter description, and while its surface literally 

 swarms with Gallinules in the evening, scarce a Coot is to be seen ; whilst in the 

 beautiful sheet of water behind Sudbury Hall, only two miles from Foston, the 

 Coot is extremely plentiful, and the Gallinule comparatively scarce. This lake, 

 though by no means destitute of aquatic herbage, is perfectly open, and only a 

 very small portion is bordered by trees. It is worthy of remark that the Coot is 

 seldom or never seen in the sheltered situations ; while, on the contrary, the Gal- 

 linule frequents the secluded spots, only venturing far from the covert towards 

 the approach of night. Another remarkable difference in the habits of the Coot 

 and the Gallinule is, that the former retires to rest at sunset, while the dusk of 

 evening is one of the favourite times for the sports of the latter ; and I have even 

 seen several on the water, both summer and winter, many hours after it has 

 become dark. In summer its shrill voice is sometimes heard at intervals through- 

 out the night, as I have frequently observed when listening to the charming 

 melody of the Brake Nightingale. 



* Author of the Ornithologists Text Book, British Song Birds, &c. 



