COOT. 181 



have got on your mud-boards, or made your dog go 

 after them, not above three or four may be left on 

 the spot, and the others, if they have a spark of life, 

 will swim, or what the gunners call " skitter" away. 

 The plan which I have found best for slaughtering 

 the coots by wholesale, is either to listen for them, 

 before daylight, and rake them down, at the gray of 

 a white frosty morning ; or watch them at some di- 

 stance in the afternoon, and set into them as late in 

 the evening as you can see to level your gun, taking 

 care, if possible, to keep them under the western 

 light. 



If you think your wounded coots worth collecting, 

 you will find nothing like a double gun to give them 

 the coup-de-grace, as they are sometimes most tor- 

 menting birds to catch with a dog, or kill with a pole. 

 Coots, instead of drawing together before they fly 

 (like geese and many other fowl), always disperse on 

 being alarmed ; and as they generally fly to wind- 

 ward, the gentlemen's system of wildfowl shooting 

 answers well, which is to embark with a party ; sail 

 down on them ; and, as they cross, luff up and fire 

 all your barrels. When an infant at wild sport, I 

 used to be mightily pleased with this diversion. When 

 on the coast, you may easily distinguish coots from 

 wild fowl, by the scattered extent of their line ; their 

 high rumps; their rapid swimming ; and their heads 

 being poked more forward. Beware of a winged 

 coot, or he will scratch vou like a cat. 



