BIRDS OF NELSON COUNTY. 49 



Genus lonornis. 



161. lonornis maTtinica (Linn.). Purple Gallinule. 

 Fourteen or fifteen years ago, when the writer was a boy 

 of ten or twelve years of age, a strange looking bird was 

 caught on "the creek" by one of his Juvenile companions 

 in iniquity, and for several days we held it captive with 

 a string tied around one of its legs, and finally, I believe, 

 not knowing what to do with it we turned it loose. The 

 appearance of the bird with its brilliant plumage, its 

 queer feet with the long toes, &c., made such a lasting 

 impression upon me, that years afterwards, when I first 

 saw a Purple Gallinule in Florida, I immediately recog- 

 nized it as the counterpart of our quondam pet in Ken- 

 tucky. On account of what I am now satisfied was over 

 caution, this bird was not included in my former list. 



Genus Fulica. 



162. Fulica americana Gmel. American Coot. 

 Transient. Rather uncommon. In October, 1880, two 

 were captured alive and brought to me. They were con- 

 fined during the winter in a dry and well-lighted base- 

 ment room, by themselves, and became very tame, always 

 coming up when called by tlie person wlio fed them. 

 Their food consisted of corn-bread crumbs and other mis- 

 cellaneous table "scraps," upon which they throve finely. 

 In April they were liberated in the yard with the poultry, 

 and made no attempt at all to leave, but soon made them- 

 selves at home, and, by their strongly evinced disposition 

 to assert their rights, enforced the respect of the numer- 

 ous domestic birds with which they were bro^^ght into 

 contact, who seemed at first inclined to regard them as 

 intruders, who were to be vigorously put down. After 



