520 COOT. 



St. Petersburg. Southward it is generally distributed over Europe 

 down to the Mediterranean, where, owing to the arrival of migrants 

 from the north, its numbers in winter are sometimes enormous. In 

 the south of the Spanish Peninsula its breeding-range touches that 

 of the Crested Coot, F. crisiata, a species which has two bright red 

 caruncles on the frontal plate. This is the resident representative 

 throughout Africa ; in winter, however, our bird visits the Azores, 

 Madeira, and the Canaries, swarms upon the waters of North Africa 

 and Egypt, and reaches the Blue Nile. Eastward it can be traced 

 across temperate Asia to China and Japan, and it nests, sparingly, 

 as far south as Kashmir and the plains of Northern India ; while 

 in the cold season multitudes are found on the lakes of Sind, as well 

 as in Burma. The range of this species extends to Java ; while 

 its representative in North America differs chiefly in having a 

 large amount of white on the under tail-coverts. 



The nests are strong and compact structures of dry flags, and are 

 usually raised from six to twelve inches above the water on founda- 

 tions of reeds or tufts of rushes, some of them being so firm as to 

 support the weight of a man seated when up to the knees in water ; 

 they are, I believe, often utilized in Spain by the Marsh-Harrier. The 

 eggs, 7-10 in number, are stone-colour, minutely speckled with dark 

 brown: measurements 2 by i"5 in. The young, which are often 

 hatched early in April, leave the nest after three or four days and 

 follow their parents. In winter, when Coots are in large flocks, they 

 protect themselves against birds of prey by throwing up water with 

 their feet ; while they are at all times remarkably wary, for which 

 reason their company is much sought by water-fowl, as they give the 

 alarm by day, when many of the latter are asleep. Hawker says, 

 " If a gentleman wishes to have plenty of wild-fowl on his pond, let 

 him preserve the Coots, and keep no tame Swans." The flight of 

 the Coot is powerful when fairly on the wing, the legs being stretched 

 out behind like those of a Heron; while a wounded bird will scratch 

 like a cat. The food consists of aquatic insects, worms, slugs, 

 weeds and other vegetable substances. 



The adult has the beak of a pale flesh-colour ; the naked patch 

 on the forehead pure white — whence the name Bald ' Coot ' ; irides 

 crimson ; plumage sooty-black below and dark slate-grey above, 

 with a narrow white bar across the wing ; legs, toes and webs dark 

 green. Length 15 in. ; wing 8-5 in. In the young bird the frontal 

 patch is smaller, the throat is nearly white, and the under parts are 

 grey. 



