SWANS 227 



fringe the shores of inland lakes ; and assembling in 

 winter in large flocks. They feed much on water- 

 weed, and will not remain on pools where it has 

 been removed. This was clearly proved by Charles 

 Waterton in Yorkshire. 



In The Field of 9th November 1895, Mr. F. Fane 

 reported having seen, about the year 1880, a milk- 

 white coot amongst a flock of the ordinary colour 

 near Ross Castle, on the lower lake of Killarney ; 

 and a white Coot was shot at Kilravock, May 8, 

 1884 (Harvie-Brown and Buckley, "Fauna of the 

 Moray Basin," ii. p. 169). In The Zoologist, 1889, 

 p. 153, Mr. Whitaker has noted that at South- 

 well, Notts, in March 1888, a variety of the Coot 

 was shot which was " splashed all over with white, 

 and looked as if it had been in a snowstorm." 



Coots vary considerably in size, and from their 

 habit of " flighting " at dusk like wildfowl, are often 

 mistaken for ducks in the uncertain light. But as 

 their long legs and toes are carried considerably 

 beyond their short tails, this gives them a more elon- 

 gated appearance on the wing, and serves to distin- 

 guish them. 



Order XL AN SERES 



Fam. ANATID^. 



MUTE SWAN. Gygnus olor, Gmelin. PI. 27, fig. 8. 

 Length, 4 ft. 6 in. to 5 ft. ; bill, 4*25 in. ; wing, 27 in. ; 

 tarsus, 4"5 in. 



Although generally regarded as exclusively a 

 domesticated species, this bird is to be found in a 



