THE COOT 257 



the spawn of fish, but I very much doubt if 

 the accusation is one whit more warrantable than 

 in the case of the moor-hen. The plumage of 

 the coot is of a blacker shade than that of the 

 moor-hen, and the tail is of the same hue, but the 

 wings are crossed with a white bar. The bill is 

 flesh-coloured. Like the moor-hen, the coot is 

 excellent eating ; numbers are, or were, annually 

 shot in the neighbourhood of Poole, in Dorset- 

 shire. 



Colonel Hawker states that the Poole gunners 

 always endeavoured to shoot these birds as 

 early in the morning as possible, the birds thus 

 killed being superior in flavour to those shot 

 later in the day, when the dew was off the 

 grass. I am not aware if coots are as plentiful in 

 that district as in the days to which Colonel 

 Hawker referred, but I should be inclined to 

 suppose not, since nowadays, wherever there is 

 any bird, fish, or animal to be shot, captured, or 

 hunted, there are twenty people intent on its 

 destruction as compared with one formerly. The 

 nest of the coot is very similar to that of the 

 moor-hen, being constructed of reeds and rushes, 

 but is remarkable for its strength and size. The 

 eggs are considerably larger, though not unlike 

 those of the moor-hen in general colour ; but the 

 reddish-brown spots are very much smaller, and 

 more plentifully distributed than those of the 

 latter bird. 



The feet of the coot are peculiar, the three 



17 



