Chap, S. 



BIRDS OF VERMONT. 



107 



THE COMMON COOT. 



THE PIED-BILL DOBCHICK. 



THE BONAPARTIAN CDLL 



lower, boat-liUe; nostrils in a furrow. medial lateral, 

 concave, oblong, pervious, half closed by a tiiraid 

 membrane ; feet moderate, far back ; naked ^pnce 

 above llie knee small ; tarsus coiiipressed, alinnsl 

 edged behind ; anierinr iocs verv long, nearly di- 

 vided to the base, margined on each side by a 

 broad scolloped nienibriine ; hind toe bearing on 

 the ground, edged on the inner side b}' nn entire 

 membrane; winus moderate, rounded, 2(1 and 3d 

 primaries longest; tail short, nariow, of 12 or 14 

 feathers; sexes and young nearly alike in plu- 

 mage. 



THE COMMON COOT. 



Fulica amcricana . — Gmel. 



Description. — Head and neck velvet 

 black ; fore part of the back, scapulars 

 and wing-coverts blackish gray ; tertia- 

 ries, tips of the scapulars, rump and tail- 

 coverts clove brown, with a greenish 

 tinge ; qtiills, tail and vent pitch black ; 

 under tail coverts and tips of the secon- 

 daries white ; bill pale horn color, with a 

 chestnut ring near its tip ; under plu- 

 mage lead-gray ; legs and toes bluish 

 green, the scolloped membrane mostly 

 lead color. Length 16 inches. — Rick. 



History. — The American Coot is found 

 throughout nearly the whole continent, 

 and seems almost indifferent to climate, 

 regulating its inigratiotis principally by 

 the scarcity or abundance of food, which 

 consists of seeds, grasses, worms, snails, 

 insects, and small fishes. Jt is nocturnal 

 in its habits, and is said to perform its mi- 

 grations by night. 



Genus Podiceps. — Lath. 



Generic Characters. — Bill moderate, robust, 

 hard, straight, and compressed, conically elonga- 

 ted and acute ; upper mandible deeply and broad- 

 ly furrowed on each side at the base, somewhat 

 curved at tip; the lower boat-shaped ; nostrils in 

 the furrow, basal, lateral, concave, oblong, pervi- 

 ous, posteriorly half closed by a membrane ; feet 

 turned outward, situated far back ; the thigh al- 

 most hidden in the belly; tarsus much compressed; 

 anterior loes greatly depressed, connected at the 

 base by a membrane, forming a broad lobe round 

 each toe ; nails wide and flattened ; wings short 

 and narrow; tail, none. Female similar to the 

 male in plumage. 



THE PIED-BILL DOBCHICK. 

 Podiceps carolineiisi.s. — Lath. 

 Description. — Upper plumage dusky 

 brown; secondaries obliquely tipped with 

 ■white ; a roundish black spot under the 

 chin ; throat and cheeks below brownish 

 gray ; patch on the breast dotted or cloud- 

 ed with brownish white and black ; bel- 

 ly almost white, mottled under the wings 

 and on the flanks ; rump dusky : bill with 



a broad black band around its middle, in- 

 cluding the nostrils; legs black ; iris ha- 

 zel.- Length 14 \n.—Kutl.all. 



History. — These birds make some stop 

 in our waters during tlieir fall migration, 

 but are not knowti to breed in this state. 

 They feed upon fishes and water-insects. 

 When alarmed they conceal themselves 

 by sinking in the water, with only the 

 end of the bill, by which they are enabled 

 to breathe, elevated above the surface, 

 and this is not easily seen. From this 

 and other singular habits they have re- 

 ceived the name of Water -Witches. 



WEB-FOOTED BIRDS. 



In tliis order, which consists wholly of 

 Water Birds, the bill is much varied in 

 form ; the legs short, generally placed 

 far back; the anterior toes wholly or par- 

 tially connected b^y webs, and, in some 

 families, all the toes are united by one 

 membrane; the hitid toe articulated; interi- 

 orly upon the tarsus, or wholly wanting. 



Genus Larus. — Linnceus 

 Generic Characters. — Bill mi;derate, sirong, 

 hard, compressed, with 'he edge? sharp and curv- 

 ed inward, a little bent at the tip ; nostrils lateral, 

 longitudinal, linear, open and pervious ; fiet rather 

 .-•lender ; tarsus nearly equal to the middle toe ; 

 web entire to the tips of the toes ; hind toe very 

 small and high on the tarsus : wings long and 

 acute ; tail even, ol 12 feathers.- Female smaller 

 than the male ; otherwise alilte. 



THE BONAPARTIAN GULL. 



Larus Bonapartii. — Swa. «fe Rich. 



Description. — Head bluish blacky 

 hack and upper part of the wings light 

 lead color, or pearly gra}' ; neck, tail and 

 whole under plumage pure white ; the 

 outer edge of the first primary and tiie 

 extremities of the others, black, in some 

 cases slightly tipped with white ; in some 

 cases the outer edge of the 2d primary is 

 edcred with a line of black ; bill shining 

 black, nearly straigiit, a little turgid and 

 notclied near the4ip; inside oftlie mouth 

 lea's and feet light bright red ; folded 

 wincps 2 inches longer than the tail which 



