No. 32.] BIRD NAMES. 1^9 



flying over the surface of the water. — A Voyage to Carolina, by 

 John Lawson, p. 149." Audubon writes : " The appellation of 

 • flusterers ' given to it by Mr. Lawson in his History of South 

 Carolina, never came to my ear during my visits to that state." 

 And Nuttall speaks of the American Coot " fluttering along the 

 surface with both the wings and feet pattering over it ;" adding, 

 '' for which reason, according to Lawson in his History of Caro- 

 lina, they had in that country received the name of Flusterers." 

 Now this is just what Lawson says in w^ork referred to (1709): 

 " Black Flusterers ; some call these Old Wives ; they are as black 

 as ink, the cocks have white faces, they always remain in the 

 midst of rivers, and feed upon drift grass, carnels or sea-nettles ; 

 they are the fattest fowl I ever saw, and sometimes so heavy 

 with flesh that they cannot rise out of the water ; they make an 

 odd sort of noise when they fly. What meat they are, I could 

 never learn. Some call these the great bald Coot." Lawson 

 nowhere mentions the term " flusterers " alone, and advances no 

 reason for the naming, and his acquaintance with the bird that 

 always remained in the midst of rivers, and of whose meat he 

 could never learn, was certainly quite limited. It is not improb- 

 able that he got names and species somewhat mixed, and I am 

 inchned to believe that in the following extract from his book he 

 alludes rather more to Coot than to Florida Gallinule (No. 33) : 

 " Blue-Peters — the same as you call Water-hens in England, are 

 here very numerous, and not regarded for eating." The name 

 Blue-Peter was probably then, as now, generally apphed in the 

 Carolinas to this more common and more hlue water-hen, No. 32. 



