THE VELVET DUCK. 519 



Length, twenty-one and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, eleven and thirty 

 one-hundredths ; tarsus, two and eight one-hundredths ; commissure two and 

 eighty-two one-hundredths inches. 



Hah. Along both coasts of North America to the north. 



The Velvet Duck, or " White-winged Coot," as it is com- 

 monly called on our coast, is a very abundant species, in the 

 autumn and through the greater part of the winter, in 

 the bays and inlets along our whole shores. It is one of the 

 Sea Ducks ; and, although occasionally found in small num- 

 bers in the large bodies of water in the interior, it is sel- 

 dom seen in large flocks in any other localities than the 

 salt waters of the seacoast. There it is taken in abun- 

 dance from the first week in October until the middle of 

 December. The sportsmen, with decoys made of wood, 

 painted to resemble these fowls, anchor their small boats 

 in localities where the Coots are known to pass ; and, from 

 early dawn until late in the forenoon, and from late in the 

 afternoon until night, keep up a constant fusillade on 

 the swiftly moving flocks. I have known two gunners to 

 secure, in one day's shooting, thirty pairs of these birds; 

 and this large number is often exceeded. 



The "Coots" are hunted more for the excitement of the 

 thing than for the sake of their flesh ; for, living as they do, 

 entirely on fish and a few mollusks, their flesh is strong 

 and oily, and far from pleasant. This species breeds in 

 Labrador and other northern localities. " The nests are 

 placed within a few feet of the borders of small lakes, 

 a mile or two distant from the sea, under the low boughs 

 of the bushes of the twigs of which, with mosses and 

 various plants matted together, they are formed. They 

 are large, and almost flat, several inches thick, with some 

 feathers of the female, but no down, under the eggs, 

 which are usually six in number, 2f inches in length by 

 1 in breadth, and of a uniform pale-cream color tinged 

 with green." 



