116 KEPOKT OF NEW JERSEY STATiE MUSEUM. 



very rare, and makes no suggestion of its breeding. Dr. Abbott says 

 it is only occasionally met with, though, he records a specimen shot at 

 Trenton in July, 1862. Other specimens have been taken, especially 

 by gunners in the autumn, but not until 1904 had anyone found a 

 nest in this vicinity. It was discovered nesting commonly in deep 

 cat-tail swamps on the Delaware, at Philadelphia, in that year by Mr. 

 Richard F. Miller, 1 and in 1906 on the Newark marshes by Messrs. 

 C. G. Abbott, Hann and Callender. 2 Eggs were found May 28th to 

 July 1st. 



Thurber mentions the species as a rare summer visitor to Morris 

 county, and Babson 3 says it was once seen in April at Princeton. 



221 Fulica americana Gmelin. 

 Coot, Crow Duck. 



PLATE 17. 



Adults. Length, 16. Wing, 7.75-8.75. Head and neck, dark sooty gray; 

 rest of plumage, lighter plumbeous; a tinge of brown on the back; tips of 

 secondaries and outer edge of wing, white ; middle of abdomen, tipped with 

 white, and under tail-coverts, mainly white; bill, white; shield, brown. 



Young in first winter. Head, lighter gray ; plumage of under surface more or 

 less tipped with white. 



Nest in swamps on floating piles of vegetation or among rushes; eggs, six 

 to sixteen, gray, speckled with black, 1.80 x 1.30. 



Common migrant along the coast and on the bay; occasionally 

 inland. March 30th to May 3d, September 1st to October 29th. 



Thurber 4 records it as breeding near Morristown, and Mr. C. G. 

 Abbott 5 records a nest on the Newark marshes, found May 30th, 1907. 



1 Cassinia, 1905, p. 24. 



2 Auk, 1907, p. 1. 



8 Birds of Princeton, p. 41. 



4 True Democratic Banner, November 10th, 1887. 



5 Auk, 1907, p. 436. 



