5o6 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. cristata, a species which has two bright red 

 caruncles on the frontal plate and is the resident representative 

 throughout Africa ; our bird, however, visits the Azores, Madeira, 

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

 Egypt in winter, and ranges as far south as the Blue Nile. East- 

 ward, we trace it across temperate Asia to China, and it nests, 

 sparingly, as far south as Cashmere ; while in the cold season 

 hundreds of thousands are found on the lakes of Sind, though in 

 other parts of India its distribution is somewhat irregular. Closely- 

 allied forms inhabit Japan, Java, and Australia ; and in North 

 America its representative 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 by the Marsh-Harrier. The eggs, 

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

 brown : average measurements 2 by i'5in. The young, which are 

 hatched towards the end of May, leave their abode after three 

 or four days to follow their parents. In winter, when Coots are in 

 large flocks, they protect themselves against birds of prey by throw- 

 ing 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 Cuots, and keep no tame Swans." 

 Their flight is powerful when they are once on the wing, their legs 

 being stretched out behind like those of a Heron ; and a wounded 

 bird will scratch like a cat. The food consists of aquatic insects, 

 worms, slugs, and 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 i8in. ; wing Sin. In the young bird the frontal 

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

 grey. 



