272 BIRDS OP TUNISIA 



gets well under weigh, and when flying it carries its legs hanging 

 down. 



It feeds on worms, snails and water insects, as well as on 

 vegetable substances such as the tender parts of various plants, 

 seeds and grain. The call-note heard chieAy of an evening, is a loud 

 and rather harsh and grating " creh, reh, rek." The nest of the 

 Moor-hen is generally placed on a bank among reeds and sedges, often 

 on the branches of trees or bushes overhanging water, and occa- 

 sionally on floating masses of flags or other water-plants. It is 

 composed of dry rushes and leaves matted together. The eggs, 

 usually seven or eight in number, are light buff in colour, spotted 

 with pale lilac shell-marks and reddish-brown surface-blotches, and 

 measure about 41 X 30 mm. Nesting commences in March and lasts 

 for about three months, two and even three broods being reared by 

 the same pair in a season. 



In The Field of July 4th, 1903, may be found an interesting 

 account of the chirping of Moor-hen chicks when still within the 

 uncracked egg. According to The Field's correspondent, the un- 

 hatched birds chirped in response to their parent's cry, when the 

 eggs were held in his hand, and their chirping was so loud as to 

 be plainly heard many yards from the nest. 



FULICA ATRA, Linnoeus. 



COOT. 



Fulica atra, Li7m. Syst. Nat. i, p. 257 (1766) ; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. 

 Mus. xxiii, p. 210; Malherbe, Cat. Bais. d'Ois. Alg. p. 21 (1846); 

 Lochc, Expl. Sci. Alg. Ois. ii, p. 351 (1867) ; Koenig, J. f. 0. 1888, 

 p. 275 ; id. J. f. 0. 1893, p. 88 ; Whitaker, Ibis, 1895, p. 105 ; 

 Erlanger, J. f. 0. 1900, p. 43. 



Description. — Adult male, winter, from North Tunisia. 



Head and neck smoke-black ; rest of the upper-plumage slate-black ; 

 quills dark brown, with a little white on the shoulder and along the outer 

 edge of the wing ; underparts slate-colour. 



Iris red ; bill and frontal shield white ; feet grey, with an orange-colored 

 band just above the tarsal joint. 



Total length 13'50 inches, wing 8, culraen with shield, 2' 10, tarsus 2-20. 



Adult female similar to the male. 



