No. 32.] BIRD NAMES. Hf 



COOT: CINEREOUS COOT: COMMON COOT: the only bird in 

 the United States recognized as Coot by ornithologists (see Nos. 

 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 37) ; more correctly termed AMERICAN COOT, 

 our bird differing slightly from the common coot of Europe. 



I have not fallen in with this species, nor heard gunners 

 name it along the coast from the St. Croix to the Penobscot. 

 From Bangor to Cape Cod Bay, on the Niagara River, at Lake 

 St. Clair, in the vicinity of Chicago, and on the Illinois River, 

 it is the MUD-HEN (see No. 33) ; and Dr. David Crary, a veteran 

 sportsman of Hartford, Conn., tells of hearing it so termed in 

 Benton Co., Oregon. (For other " mud-hens," see Nos. 35, 36, 

 43.) 



Rev. J. II. Langille, in Our Birds in their Haunts, 1884, de- 

 scribes its manner of rising from the water, " gradually with a 

 spatting, splattering noise," etc., adding, " very properly do the 

 Western hunters call this bird the SPLATTERER." 



Again, from Bangor to Cape Cod Bay, MARSH-HEN (this be- 

 ing perhaps equally popular with "Mud-hen"), and Mr. Everett 

 Smith speaks of hearing it called the BLUE MARSH-HEN in 

 Maine.* (For other " marsh-hens," see Nos. 33, 34, 35, 36.) 



To some at Salem, Mass., and more commonly at Newport, 

 R. L, MEADOW-HEN (see No. 35) ; in Massachusetts at Province- 

 town, Buzzard's Bay, and West Barnstable, POND-HEN, and at 

 Falmouth, WATER-HEN (see No. 33), and Gosse (1847) speaks 

 of this latter term as so used in Jamaica the name Coot being 

 given there to the Florida Gallinule. 



At Havre de Grace, Md., MOOR-HEN, so termed by all (see 

 No. 33). 



In Connecticut at East Haddam, and mouth of Connecticut 

 River, and at Moriches, L.I., PULLDOO, a corruption of the French 

 jxnde cTeau (water-hen). Audubon (Ornith. Biog., III., 1835), 

 speaks of POULE D'EAU being applied in Louisiana to both this 

 bird and No. 35, and adds concerning the present species : " In 

 all other parts of the Union it is known by the name of Mud- 

 hen and Coot." "All other parts of the Union" was far too 



* Birds of Maine, Forett and Stream, 1882-83. 



