Harris—Birds of the Kansas City Region. 247 
Subfamily Fulicinae. Coots. 
FULICA AMERICANA Gmelin. Coot. 
Abundant migrant and not uncommon summer resident. 
The bulk of the flight comes rather late, just ahead of the 
Blue-winged Teal and Shovellers, though a noticeable number 
are here often as early as the last week in February (twenty 
on Feb. 25, 1917). They begin leaving in September and very 
few are seen after early November. 
Coots breed in the county wherever they can find suitable 
nesting sites. A pair nested on the Blue within the city limits 
during the summer of 1913, but succeeded in raising only one 
young. Immediately on the opening day of the shooting season 
all three birds were promptly slaughtered by the first hunter 
that passed on his way to the Missouri River. 
Tremendous flocks of Mudhens migrate up the Missouri Val- 
ley and one flock seen on April 13, 1917, was estimated to con- 
tain ten thousand birds. 
During the flight they are commonly seen on all the park 
lakes and city ponds. 
Order LIMICOLAE. Shore Birds. 
Family PHauaroropwar. Phalaropes. 
PHALAROPUS FULICARIUS (Linn.). Red Phalarope. 
Very rare migrant. 
The Red Phalarope is said by several of the river-fishermen 
to occur now and then during migration, but authentic records 
are searce. A specimen was taken on the Kaw River near Law- 
— on November 5, 1905; another specimen, the head and 
a of which were examined, was taken by Wm. Andrews on 
; € Missouri River in Jackson County on October 20, 1917. A 
°w unauthenticated records are known. 
Losirrs Loparus (Linn.). Northern Phalarope. 
Casual, Probably accidental. 
eee only known record of the occurrence of the Northern 
arope in this region is the specimen referred to by Wid- 
mann (p. 63), which was taken in Platte County, opposite Leav- 
€nworth. This species can be of only casual oceurrence in this 
Part of the country, 
