Birds of Britain 



It remains on the ground all day and roosts at night among 

 the sedges and rushes, but in frosty weather it invariably 

 roosts on trees. 



The sexes are much alike : the upper parts dark olive 

 brown ; head, neck, and under parts bluish grey ; the flank 

 feathers streaked with white, under tail coverts white. 

 Bill bright red at the base, with yellow tip in summer ; dull 

 olive brown in autumn and early winter. Legs greenish 

 yellow. The young have the chin white, under parts greyish 

 brown ; they are also greyer on the back than the adults. 

 Length 13 in.; wing 6 '7 5 in. 



THE COOT 



Fulica atra, Linnaeus 



The Coot is found on most of the open sheets of water 

 throughout the country ; it differs from its other congeners 

 in being far less skulking and spending most of its time out 

 on the open water, and procures much of its food by diving. 

 Its feet are lobed, that is to say, have flat extensions of the 

 skin which is constricted at the joints, down all the toes. 



The nest is a huge structure of reeds and rushes placed 

 well away from the shore, in a small clump of reeds, and 

 the eggs, which number seven to ten, are very pale stone 

 colour, minutely speckled and dotted with dark brown. 

 The young bird when first hatched is black except for his 

 head, which is sparsely covered with coarse down-like hairs of 

 a red and orange tint. 



Its food consists of aquatic insects and vegetation, as is 



2QO 



