86 NATURAL HISTOBY SKETCHES. 



CHAPTEE VI. 



THE COOT THE WATER-HEN DABCHICK BITTERN HERON WHITE 

 CRANES EGKET SPOONBILL IBIS NATIVE COMPANION NAN- 

 KEEN CRANE COAST-SHOOTING SEA BIRDS. 



THE Australian Coot is the porphyry-bird or sultan-hen 

 of South Africa, and much resembles the British coot in 

 size, shape, and habits ; but the body-colour is a beautiful 

 blue and white under the tail ; the cere, beak, helmet, 

 and legs are bright red. One of the peculiarities of this 

 bird is, that it can bring its food to its mouth with its 

 feet, which are not lobed like those of coot at home, but 

 the toes are long and thin, like those of the water-hen. 

 They were very common in most of the sheltered creeks 

 and water-holes. They bred with us, and in the autumn 

 appeared to flock, and then we principally found them in 

 rushes or tea-tree scrub, in which they perch. They are 

 very hard to rise, run like lamplighters, are easy to shoot 

 when on the wing ; and though I liked them much when 

 roasted, were hardly worth shooting for the market. 



The Water-Tien was much rarer with us than the coot. 

 I generally found them in thick rushes, and never saw 

 more than two together. It very much resembles its 

 British namesake in size, habits, and general appearance. 



The Ddbchick here very much resembles the little dab- 



