2i8 DUCK SHOOTING. 



coming sooty or almost lead-color below, and some- 

 times almost white on the abdomen. The bill is black, 

 but little swollen, and, of course, the black spot shown 

 in the male is not apparent. The bird's length is about 

 20 inches. Mr. Ridgway states that sometimes in the 

 adult male there are other white marks than those de- 

 scribed, and sometimes one or the other of the white 

 patches on top of the head is wanting, but these condi- 

 tions are very unusual. 



This species, which is known as surf duck in the 

 books, is commonly called by gunners coot, sea duck, 

 skunk-head and also sometimes hollow-billed coot. It 

 is peculiar to America and in habits and distribution 

 does not differ markedly from our other coots. It is 

 said to breed on the Arctic coast and to proceed south- 

 ward as far as Bermuda. It is also commonly found 

 on the Great Lakes and is not infrequently killed by 

 gunners on the marshes to the south of them. Mr. 

 Audubon found it breeding as far south as Labrador, 

 in fresh-water marshes, and the nest was rather more 

 substantial than that of many of the sea-ducks, being 

 well built and lined with down. It contained five eggs, 

 of a cream color. Nests found by Mr. MacFarlane 

 on the Anderson River contained eight eggs. 



While vast numbers of coots winter on the New 

 England coast, and seem to thrive there, numbers ap- 

 parently equally great proceed further south, wintering 

 in the mouths of the Delaware River and in Chesapeake 

 Bay and out at sea. In these regions, however, where 

 there are so many better ducks, they are not much pur- 



