KVI.UD.E. 



KALMO*. 



"The Cool," *y* Mr. Gould, U indigenous to our ul. 



on all Urge sbvrU of water, but giviug preference to those OTergrown 

 with ruahr* and margined with a belt of thick reixU ami luxuriant 

 vegetation." Such i the mecr or pond before William of WykehauT* 

 inUns at Bitbop'* Waltham, where they abound. In such haunt* it 

 build*, early in the ipnng. a itrong and olid neat of riube*, niaatuii, 

 and waUr-pUaU. The large not thai constructed rise* above the 

 surface of the water, on the bottom of which, when shallow enough, 

 the bate of the ne*t lometimei rest*. It* more frequent situation 

 however i in the reedy and rnihy tufU and rank vegetation of the 

 water'* rdg, ao a* to be concealed. The egg*, which are brownUh- 

 white, (potted with dark brown, range from seven to ten in number. 

 The young, when hatched, are clothed in a black down, and take 

 water very aooo. As winter approaches the Coot seeks the 

 open water* near the tea, and the mud-flat* at Southampton are 

 among the place* viiited by them in great number*. The Coot iwims 

 and dive* admirably, but flic* heavily and with effort. It* food con- 

 ista of worm*, slug*, aquatic plant*, insect*, ic. 



The Coot (Fuliea atra). 



Much cannot be said for it as an article of food, except when it is 

 young, and then it require* much perseverance to get off the black 

 down next to the skin. 



fiaUiintla. Bill abort, straight, the margins not indexed ; the 

 cutting edges of the upper mandible folding over the lower. Gonys 

 very abort, aogulated. Toes simple, without any marginal membrane. 

 The nuorial type. (Sw.) 



''. cUorop*t it the 1'oule d'Kau of the French ; Gallinella of the 

 Italian* ; Waawrhuhn, GrunfuMige Kohrhuhu, aud I>raune Meerhun, 

 of the German* ; Common Qallinulc, Water-Ueu, or Moor-Hen of the 

 English ; and Dwfriar of the Welsh. 



W.tcr-Ua (OmlliiMla Menpu). 



Old Mai*. Hd, il.nml. neck, and all the lower part* slaty-blue ; 



part* deep olivo-l.rown;-cxUrnal border of the wing*, large 



onjitu linal spot* oa the side*, and lower covert* of the tail, pure 



white ; three or four of the feathers placed at the centre of the tail- 

 covrrU deep black ; base of the bill and largo frontal pluto bright red, 

 iwint of the bill yellow ; iris red ; feet yellowish-green ; on the tibia 

 a naked circle of a fine red. 



The Old Female differ* only in having the tinU of the plumage 

 little lea* bright 



The Young, till their second autumnal moult, differ much from the 

 old. The top of the head, the uape, the back, and the rump are 

 olive-brown ; quills deep brown, terminated by bright brown border*; 

 tail deep brown ; throat, front of the neck, and a spot below the eye 

 whitish ; rest of the lower parts bright gray ; point of the bill olive- 

 green, blending into olive-brown at the base ; iris brown ; feet olive, 

 but tinged with yellowish on the tibia. 



Young of the Year. More of the whitish around the bill ; anil the 

 lower part* with the tints lew bright Individuals in a state of tran- 

 sition from one period of age to another have the frontal plate more 

 or leas large, coloured with red or yellowish. 



" One circumstance," says Sir. Gould, in his ' Birds of Europe," 

 "respecting this familiar bird appears to have escaped the notice of 

 most ornithologist* : we allude to the fact of the female being clothed 

 in a dork and rich plumage, aud having the base of the bill and the 

 frontal shield of a bright crimson-red tipped with fine yellow ; her 

 superiority iu these respect* has caused her to be mistaken for the 

 male, which, contrary to the general rule, is at all time* clothed in a 

 duller plumage, and has the upper surface more olive than in the 

 female ; the bill is also less richly tinted. We were first led to notice 

 this fact in consequence of observing the birds sitting or rising from 

 the nest to be those whose richly-coloured bills had induced us to 

 believe them to be males, and which the dissection of a great number 

 of individuals has now fully proved to us to be the females. Besides 

 this difference, the sexes vary in size, the female being about one-fifth 

 less thaii her mate." 



This species appears to be not only dispersed over the whole of 

 Europe, but extends its range over the greater portion of Africa aud 

 India ; and, like the Peregrine Falcon mid Baru-Owl, may be said to 

 be universally, distributed over the globe. " It is even questioned," 

 says Mr. Gould, " whether those from tropical America, China, and 

 the islands of the Pacific, which exhibit the most trifling marks of 

 difference, should not be considered as identically one and the same 

 species." It was seen by Dr. Von Hie bold and M. Burger in Japan ; 

 and M. Temminck remarks that the African variety, which is also 

 found in the isles of Sunda, has the anterior border of the wing 

 reddish; the lower tail-coverts, which in European, Asiatic, and 

 Japanese individuals are of pure white or Isabella colour, have a 

 reddish tinge in the variety from Africa and the Sunda Isles, which is 

 also somewhat less than Europeru and Japanese birds, and has the 

 frontal plate larger. The variety from the Sunda Isles is, according 

 to M. Tcuiniiiick. Gallinula oriental!* of Horsfield, (' Linn. Trans.,' 

 vol. xiiL) The only difference between the Japanese bird and that of 

 Europe is the Isabella tint of the lateral under tail-coverts in the 

 former : in the European variety those feathers are white. 



In our inlands the haunts of the common Uallinule are riven, 

 meers, ponds, sedgy spots, and marshy places. The nest is formed of 

 interlaced flags, weeds, &c., generally in the most concealed parts of 

 the rushy rivulet or sedgy margined pond, and in it from five to nine 

 pale yellowish-brows; eggs spotted with red arc deposited. Incubation 

 continues for three weeks. The young are exposed to many enemies 

 for their parent has not only to guard them against birds of prey and 

 the smaller Carnirora, rats, &c., but against the attacks of the pike. 

 The food consists of aquatic injects, molluscs and worms, seeds, and 

 water herbage, The flesh of a water-hcu, iu good season, after 

 having had the advantage of u neighbouring wheat or barley stubble, 

 is well flavoured, juicy, and sapid. The sportsman who is not well 

 acquainted with their habits, often leaves them behind perched among 

 the boughs of the trees or shrubs that overhang the water or closely 

 adjoin it ; for these birds when hard pressed not uncommonly get up 

 into such retreats till the danger is passed. On its feet it is lively and 

 not ungraceful ; on wing it is heavy mid slow. 



Some of the African Oallinules, figured by Dr. Smith (0. dimidiata 

 aud 0. Jardinii for instance), present certain differences which would 

 appear to warrant subgeneric distinction. 



ItallMt. Bill lengthened, slender; both mandibles in general 

 slightly curved, and with their margin* considerably inducted beyond 

 the nostrils. The tenuirostral type. (Sw.) 



R. aquatieut is the Rale d'Eau of the French ; I'orcigliom-, M.-iii 

 Aquarola, and Merla d'Acqua, of the Italians ; Wasser Italic of the 

 German*; Water-Kail, Bidcock, Bilcook, Velvet- Runner, Brook- 

 Runner, and Brook-Ousel, of the English ; aud Cwtair of the Welsh. 

 It is the lUsIe Noir of Belou, who gives the following synonyms : 

 'Oprvyo^rpa, Matrix Cothvrnicum, Italia, llasle, Italic, Hoy et Mere 

 des CaiUes, and He de Quaglie. 



Throat whitish ; sides of the head, neck, breast, and belly, leaden- 

 ah colour; all the feathers of the upper parti red-brown, marked 

 in the middle with deep black; aide* deep block transversely stri)'<l 

 with white bands; lower covert* of tho tail white; bill red hut 

 clouded with brown at tho point aud above ; feet brown flesh-colour ; 

 iris orange. 



The Young of the Year have the middle of the belly of a red- 



