THE COOT. 135 



a gem in the desart, when one does not expect it ; 

 the sheet of glittering water amid encircling forests ; 

 and the shelving pool amid undulated green hills, with 

 its margins alternating of white marie, clean pebbles, 

 and sedgy banks, have all their beauty and their re- 

 spective inhabitants. It is true that the osprey and 

 the fishing-eagle do not there display their feats of 

 strength, and the wild swan does not bring forth her 

 young, or even often visit ; but our old friend the heron 

 is there, and she finds new associates w r ith whom she 

 can dwell in peace. One of the common summer in- 

 habitants of those more lowly and retired and warm 

 situations, is 



THE COOT. 



THE common coo/, or black coot, sometimes called, on 

 account of the pale colour of its forehead, the bald 

 coot, (fulica atra, Linnseus,) is a bird about the size of 

 a domestic fowl. The length is about eighteen inches, 

 the expansion of the wings about twenty-eight, and the 

 weight, from a pound and a half to two pounds. The 

 bill of the coot is straight, and of a conical shape ; it, 

 and the fore-part of the head are usually flesh-coloured, 

 but in the breeding season the latter is spotted with 

 red. This pointed beak is less in the female than in 

 the male. The body is blackish, with a little white on 

 the outer edges of the wings. The legs are greenish, 

 and the bands or bracelets greenish yellow ; the toes 

 are long, and armed with crooked claws of considerable 

 length. The three front toes are pinnated, or have 

 three lobed fin-like membranes upon each side, but 

 they are not united by a membrane, and the hind toes 

 N 2 



