1920.] Cdjie San Antonio, Buenoa Ayres. 49 



by the sudden appearance of an intruder, tliey scurry along 

 the surface as mentioned l)y Hudson, until removed from 

 danger. Given a large laguua on one of these occasions, 

 with its customai'y quota of Coots, the watei- is broken into 

 a sheet of foam, and the noise produced becomes a startling 

 roar, where previously had reigned the most peaceful quiet. 



I agree with Mr. Hudson that it is when the bird is swim- 

 ming about concealed among the rushes that the notes 

 ai*e most heard. The listener, if quiescent in a canoe, is 

 surrounded by tiie weird and sometimes sepulchral chorus 

 of cries and laughter in varying tone's, with an occasional 

 rattle of the j uncos or dasli of water as the birds piirsue 

 each other ; he knows that probably watchful eyes are upon 

 him. but he himself never catches a glimpse of bis eerie neigh- 

 bours, though fully aware of their immediate proximity. 



From tiie middle of September to the middle of December 

 is the extent of the nesting-season. When floods are out 

 and the lower lands adjacent to the canadas covered with 

 shoal-water and water-weeds, the Yellow-billed Coot makes 

 no attempt at concealment but builds freely in the open, 

 entirely disdaining the shelter of rush and reed-beds. Often 

 the nests are close together, four or five within a short radius, 

 but in any case they are so numerously dotted over the 

 large suitable expanses that an hour or two in a canoe will 

 ])roduce a fishing-basket full of eggs. These nesis at first 

 are only floating platforms of wet water-weeds, slovenly put 

 together, and so low that (except for its immobility) tiie 

 sitting-bird is hardly to be distinguished from those swim- 

 ming in the vicinity ; but as time goes on the nests are 

 added to, and become drier and more shapely. On being 

 disturbed the parent birds remain at a considerable distance, 

 and only give utterance to an occasional croak. In normal 

 seasons the nest is situated at the edge of a rush-bed, either 

 on the confines of the swamp or a pool of the same; the 

 structure is then composed of rushes or water-grasses, with 

 more pretensions to design and solidity, and with a little 

 dry lining. 



Hudson gives the number of eggs as ten or twelve. But I 



SKll. XI. VOL. II. E 



