54 University of California Publications in Zoology. (Vou.5 
Fulica americana Gmelin. Mudhen; American Coot. 
Mudhens were found to be breeding in considerable numbers 
on Bear lake, but the species was met with nowhere else. July 
28 to August 3, 1905, many families of small young were seen 
and several nests found in which the eggs were just hatching. 
One nest near camp contained nine eggs on July 27. Two of 
them hatched on July 28, and then one or two hatched each day 
until August 2, when the last one hatched. The young birds left 
the nest shortly after appearing and swam vigorously about, but 
keeping near the nest. 
The nests were usually built in a kind of tule, and consisted 
of tules woven together rather firmly so as to form a_ basket- 
“shaped nest. There was usually a sort of gangway, composed of 
tules, leading to the nest; and in the above instance the old coot 
always entered and left the nest by this route: 
Other nests containing eight and ten eggs respectively were 
found, as well as a set of eleven, which was taken. The eges in 
the latter set were in various stages of incubation, some being 
fresh, while in others incubation was variously advanced. In- 
cubation evidently began about as soon as the first eg@ was laid. 
The throat, neek, wings and back of the coots when hatched 
were covered with crinkled, fuzzy feathers with hair-like ter- 
minations. These were of a chinese orange shade, brightening 
to orange vermillion about the head. The terminal portion of 
the bill was of the same color, except that the extreme tip of the 
bill was black. These orange-colored feathers stand out beyond 
the blackish down that covers the body of the young. The head 
becomes pale in the older youngsters by the colored feathers sep- 
arating as the bird grows larger, and finally wearing off alto- 
gether. 
A quite significant and interesting fact was noted in that the 
feet of the young grew far more rapidly in proportion than the 
rest of their body. A half-grown mudhen has astonishingly large 
feet, and after observing the ease with which the youngsters swam 
and dived (apparently just as well as the adults), the relative 
importance of those members to the early success of the individual 
seemed plain. The young of a family near camp returned with 
both parents to the old nest each evening at dusk, but much 
