476 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 



FULICA, LiNN^us. 



Fuhca, LiNN/EUS, Syst. Nat. (1735), (Tj'pe Fulica atra, L.) 

 Bill shorter than the head, straight, strong, compressed, and advancing into the 

 feathers of the forehead, where it frequently forms a wide and somewhat projecting 

 frontal plate ; nostrils in a groove, with a large membrane near the middle of the 

 bill; wings rather short, second and third quills usually longest ; tail very short; 

 tarsus robust, shorter than the middle toe, with very distinct transverse scales; toes 

 long, each toe having semicircular lobes, larger on the inner side of the toe; hind 

 toe rather long, lobed. 



FULICA AMERICANA. — Gmdin. 



The Coot; Poule d'eau; Mud-hen. 



Fulica Americana, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 704. Aud. Cm. Biog., TIL 

 (1835) 291; V. 568. lb., Birds Am., VL (1842) 138, 

 Fulica atra, Wilson. Am. Cm., IX. (1825) 61. 



Description. 



Head and neck glossy-black, with a tinge of ashy; under tail coverts white; 

 entire other plumage dark bluish-cinereous or slate-color, with a tinge of olive on 

 the back and darker on the rump; edge of wing at shoulder and edge of first pri- 

 mary white; secondary quills tipped with white; rump frequently tinged with 

 brownish; bill very pale-yellow or nearly white, with a transverse band of brown- 

 ish-black near the end; tip white; legs dull grayish-green. Female similar, but 

 with the tints lighter. Young like the adult, but with the under parts lighter; 

 abdomen frequently ashy-white ; back and rump dark olive-brown ; head and neck 

 lighter; iris reddish-hazel. 



Total length, about fourteen inches; wing, seven; tail, two inches. 



This species probably breeds in all the New-England 

 States, but not abundantly. It prefers the neighborhood of 

 some small muddy pond for its habitation ; and its nest is 

 usually built in an almost inaccessible bog. Of the charac- 

 ter of the nest, I am ignorant, but judge that it resembles 

 that of the other members of this family. 



The eggs are from eight to twelve in number. Their 

 form is an elongated ovoid. Their color is a pale yellowish- 

 buff, or dirty-cream tint ; and they are marked with fine dots 

 and spots of dark-umber and obscure fine dots of lilac. 

 In all the specimens that I have examined, these dots are 

 pretty thickly distributed or sprinkled, but are in no case 

 confluent into blotches. Their dimensions vary from 2.10 

 by 1.35 to 2 by 1.28 inch. 



