272 RALLHXE FULICA 



patch in the centre of the breast, the primaries and some of their 

 coverts and a few feathers in the upper and lower tail-coverts 

 white ; the legs, too, are quite pale ; the rest of the coloration is 

 normal. The complete symmetry of the albinistic patches would at 

 first lead one to the conclusion that this was an entirely different 

 bird, but there can be little doubt that it is merely a partial albino. 



Distribution. The Eed-knobbed Coot is closely allied to the 

 common English Coot, differing only in the possession of a pair 

 of rounded, knob-like excrescences, which are placed at the hinder 

 edge of the frontal shield. 



The present species is spread over North, East and South 

 Africa and Madagascar, but does not appear to be known in West 

 Africa. It crosses the Mediterranean into Spain, where it has 

 been found breeding. In South Africa it appears to be generally 

 distributed in suitable situations. The following are recorded 

 localities: Cape Colony Cape division, September, Worcester 

 division, December, and Knysna, September, November (S.A. 

 Mus.), Port Elizabeth (Bickard), Deelfontein (Seimund), Orange 

 Eiver, near Aliwal North (Whitehead) ; Natal Durban (Bt. Mus.), 

 near Newcastle (Butler) ; Orange Eiver Colony Ehenoster Eiver 

 (Ayres) ; Transvaal Mooi Eiver at Potchefstroom and near Pretoria 

 (Barratt), near Johannesburg, common (Haagner) ; Bechuanaland 

 Botletli Eiver (Bryden), near Lake Ngami, August (Fleck) ; 

 German South-west Africa Ondonga, December (Andersson), Omu- 

 ramba and Eietfontein (Fleck) ; Ehodesia Feira on the Zambesi 

 (Stoehr, in S.A. Mus.) 



Habits. The Eed-knobbed Coot is one of the commonest of 

 South African water-birds ; it is found on all open sheets of water 

 and also on rivers, generally in small companies, sometimes with 

 wild ducks of various species. It feeds in the morning and evening, 

 often travelling some distance from its usual haunts ; water- weeds, 

 seeds of various aquatic plants and insects form its diet ; unlike 

 most of the Eail family it is a good flyer, notwithstanding the 

 shortness of its wings, and when disturbed, will often take to flight 

 for a considerable distance. It is also an expert swimmer and 

 diver ; Layard has observed it swimming on the waters of Table 

 Bay when there was a considerable swell. 



The nesting habits of the Eed-knobbed Coot have been noticed 

 by many South African observers. The nest is formed of reeds and 

 other water plants, roughly but firmly woven together, and floats 

 amongst the rushes, a foundation being sometimes made of a few 



