COMMON COOT. 129 



and Tunis. Mr. Strickland saw it at Smyrna ; the Zoolo- 

 gical Society have received specimens from Trebizond ; 

 and the Coot of India, China, Japan, and the island 

 of Sunda, is said to be identical with the Coot of Europe. 



The beak is of a pale rose-red, or flesh-colour ; the patch 

 on the forehead naked, and pure white ; hence the name of 

 Bald Coot : the irides crimson ; below the eye a small half-- 

 circular streak of white ; the whole of the plumage above 

 and below sooty black, tinged with dark slate-grey ; the 

 head rather darker than the body ; primaries nearly pure 

 black ; secondaries tipped with white, forming a line or 

 narrow bar across the wing; legs, toes, and membranes 

 dark green, the garter above the tarsal joint orange. 



The whole length sixteen inches. From the carpal 

 joint to the end of the wing about eight inches. 



Adult birds from their more decided dark colour have 

 been by some authors considered distinct, and called F. 

 aterrima ; but we have only one species. The young 

 birds of the year are smaller than the parent, the naked 

 frontal patch is also smaller, and the under parts of the 

 plumage are of a lighter grey. Young chicks on emerging 

 from the egg-shell are covered with black down, with some 

 lighter- coloured down hanging loosely about them. 



Varieties entirely white, and others only partially white, 

 have been seen both in Norfolk and Lincolnshire. 



The decidedly aquatic habits, with the attendant pecu- 

 liarity of the feet of this and the remaining members of this 

 order of birds, entitle them to some distinction from the 

 Gallinules, as more nearly approaching the true swimmers, 

 Natatores. 



VOL. III. 



