358 BULLETIN 135, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



While the American coot displays prominently the white terminal 

 line on the under tail coverts in elevating the tail, this field mark 

 is lacking in the European coot. 



Winter. — Seebohm (1884) says: "In winter coots collect into im- 

 mense flocks in the low-lying counties and frequent the fresh water as 

 long as it remains unfrozen, only quitting it for the sea when abso- 

 lutely compelled by the long-continued frost. They appear to mi- 

 grate to the coast under these circumstances in large flocks, quitting 

 their fresh water haunts to a bird." 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Great Britain and greater part of continental Europe, 

 Asia and northern Africa, from 70° north latitude in Scandinavia 

 and 60° north latitude in Russia southward and eastward to China, 

 Japan, India, the Philippine Islands, and the Azores. Rarely wan- 

 ders to Iceland and casually to Greenland. 



Egg dates. — Great Britain: 17 records, April 20 to June 23; 9 

 records, May 1 to 18. 



FULICA AMERICANA GmeUn 

 AMERICAN COOT 



HABITS 



Except in the Northeastern States and Provinces, where it occurs 

 only as a migrant and not very commonly, everybody who knows 

 birds at all is familiar with the plainly dressed, but exceedingly inter- 

 esting, coot or "mud hen" or "blue Peter." For it enjoys a wide 

 distribution over most of the North American Continent, in which it 

 is very abundant at some seasons of the year in all suitable localities, 

 breeding from the "fur countries" to the West Indies and resident 

 the year round in the southern part of its range. 



I first became acquainted with this curious bird in the North Da- 

 kota sloughs, those wonderful wildfowl nurseries of the western plains, 

 teeming with a varied bird life in which the coot played a prominent 

 part, as a conspicuous, noisy, and amusing clown. Among the flocks 

 of ducks, floating on the open water, a few of the somber, gray birds, 

 with black heads and conspicuous white bills, were always in evi- 

 dence ; they were constantly startling us by splashing and spattering 

 off over the water, as we started them from the reedy borders; and 

 to the ceaseless din made by the rythmic notes of countless yellow- 

 headed blackbirds, the loud, guttural voices and varied calls of the 

 coots played a fitting accompaniment. They were never quiet and 

 their antics were often entertaining. 



Spring. — The coot is a hardy bird and an early spring migrant, 

 pushing on northward as fast as advancing spring melts the ice in 



