496 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA THOMPSON. 



her feathers, became a "peace-at-any-price" partisan, and never after 

 took the slightest notice of the tiny Porzana. It finally escaped through 

 a hole less than an inch across. It was almost impossible to hold it in 

 the hand, so great was its power of forcing its body through the smallest 

 opening. 



This rail 1 took for Porzana jamaicensis, but had delayed making a 

 careful diagnosis to a more convenient season, which never came, for 

 the bird disappeared on the first night of its captivity ; so that I do not 

 consider the identification at all safe. It may have been P. novehora- 

 censis. One is as likely as the other, and I believe both will yet be 

 found in the province. Certain it is that a little rail, other than the 

 Carolina, is often flushed in the rushes, and flies with its legs dangling; 

 never, however, for any great distance; generally, it merely dashes 

 out of the sedge at one place and along- a few yards to drop into an- 

 other. Its diminutive size and aquatic habits have, in some localities, 

 procured for it the name of Water Sparrow. 



64. Fulica aniericana. American Coot. 



Common summer resident; extremely abundant along the line from 

 Pembina to the Eockies; breeding (Coues). Dufferin : Arrived between 

 April 25 and 30 (Dawson). Winnipeg: Summer resident ; abundant 

 (Hine). Oak Point : Arrived May 9 (Small). Lake Manitoba (Brewer). 

 Portage la Prairie: Very abundant summer resident, arriving in May, 

 departing early in October; first seen in 1884, May 6 (Nash). Carberry: 

 Summer resident; not common ; plain south of Souris River; Minne- 

 dosa, common; Portage la Prairie, abundant in fall (Thompson), 

 Abundant on all pools of fresh water in the prairie region, with grebes; 

 not common in the forest region (Macoun). Dalton : 1889, first seen, 

 eight, on April 18; next seen on April 21, which was also last seen; 

 common, but not breeding (Youmans). Shell River: 1885, first seen, a 

 pair, on May 12 ; afterwards seen every day all summer; is common; 

 it breeds here; nest found with thirteen eggs (Calcutt). Qu'Appelle; 

 Common summer resident; breeds; arrived May 6 (Guernsey). 



On June 25, 1884, in a pontl 10 miles west of Minnedosa, I saw four 

 coots engaged in a curious set-to. They might have been fighting, or 

 merely playing. They were close together, and all were splashing the 

 water about, flapping their wings and bobbing up and down; they faced 

 each other, but never seemed to strike each other, so far as I could see. 

 I have several times seen this performance in the spring time. 



Tho migration of tlie coot is very singular ; late in the autumn 1 have seen these 

 birds in countless numbers in the maishes at the south end of Lake Manitoba; for a 

 few days previous to their going they keep up a ceaseless chatter and row, appa- 

 rently discussing the propriety of leaving. On my going out some morning after this 

 has gone on, not a single solitary coot is to be seen, except perhaps a wounded one 

 that cau not fly ; they are unlike other birds, only migratiug at night. I have never 

 seen a flock of them in the daytime. These marshes of Lake Manitoba appear quite 



