THE COMMON COOT. 471 



palatable than in summer, they are much sought after by- 

 seaside gunners. Their note, in summer, is a loud harsh 

 cry, represented by the syllable "krew," as it would be 

 uttered by a crazy trumpet. In winter they are nearly 

 mute. During the latter season. Coots are confined to the 

 southern parts of the island ; but in the breeding season 

 they are more generally diffused. 



When seen on the sea-coast, they are readily distin- 

 guished from Ducks by the different position in which 

 they sit on the water, with their heads low, poking for- 

 wards, and their tails sticking high above the body. 

 When flying in large coverts, they crowd together into a 

 mass, but when swimming scatter over a wide space. 



They have the same power of concealing themselves by 

 diving among weeds that has been already said to be pos- 

 sessed by the Gallinule. I have seen a female Coot and 

 her brood, when disturbed by a party of sjDortsmen, paddle 

 for a small jDatch of rushes, and defy a long-continued and 

 minute search conducted by keepers and clever water-dogs. 

 The latter appeared to traverse, again and again, every 

 square foot of the rush bed ; but not a single bird was 

 dislodered. 



THE GREY PHALAEOPE. 



PHALAROPUS LOBATUS. 



Winter— Flumage in front and beneath white ; back of the head, ear-coverts, 

 and a streak down the napCj dusky; back pearl grey, the feathers dusky in 

 the centre, a white transverse bar on the wings ; tail-feathers brown, edged 

 with ash ; bill brown, yellowish red at the base ; irides reddish yellow ; feet 

 greenish ash. Svvimer — Head dusky ; face and nape white ; feathers of the 

 back dusky, bordered with orange-brown ; front and lower plumage brick- 

 red. Length eight inches and a half. Eggs greenish stone-colour, blotched 

 and spotted with dusky. 



The Grey Phalarope, without being one of our rarest 

 birds, is not of common occurrence. Its proper home 

 is in the Arctic regions, from whence it migrates south- 

 ward in winter. It is a bird of varied accomplishments, 



