316 



GAME BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA 



along the joints of the toes make identification certain (fig. 55). At a 

 distance the bird may be distinguished from ducks by the fore-and-aft 

 bobbing motion of the head, in unison with that of the feet.' This is 

 observable when walking on land or when swimming in the water. 

 Almost any large or small marsh, or a pond with more or less of 

 a border of tall grass or tules, may be selected by the Mud-hen as a 



Fig. 55. Top of foot of Mud-hen. Natural size. 

 Note broad lobes on sides of toes (compare with figs. 11 and 47). 



nesting site. The Mud-hen is a gregarious species and frequently 

 nests in colonies, the nests being placed even as close as ten feet from 

 each other. Davie (1889, p. 105) says that five hundred Coot eggs 

 were taken from a single marsh near Los Angeles. At Los Baiios, 

 Merced County, nests are so common that it would be a comparatively 

 easy matter to obtain even a larger number of eggs in a single season. 

 Courtship is evidenced by persistent pursuit of the female by the male, 



