724 Birds of Celebes: Rallidae. 



increased numbers, passing as far south as the Canary Islands, or still further. 

 Prjevalsky and Radde (26) likewise found it to be a summer visitant to N. E. 

 Asia (Lake Khanka, the Tare'i-nor); it is resident in Central China, viz. the Lower 

 Yangtse, but its numbers are greatly increased here in winter (Sty an 19), 

 while Mr. De La Touche records it_(22) from South China, — Foochow and 

 Swatow — only in winter. Very possibly this southern migration in winter is 

 carried as far south as North Celebes. In Turkestan Scully found it to be a 

 summer migrant; at Kandahar C. Swinhoe found it in enormous numbers in 

 February, but it stayed only about a month; through Gilgit, as Biddulph 

 and Scully found, it seems to pass only in migration, but in India, though 

 very many descend no doubt from northern latitudes in winter, it is present 

 all the year and breeds throughout the country, according to Hume, "in large 

 jheels and lakes that contain water all the year round". It is not recorded from 

 Ceylon by Legge, nor from Borneo by Everett, though V order man has it 

 in his list of Bornean birds. 



The Coot is a true water-bird, only venturing on land as something out 

 of the way, when, as Helm (28) pretty clearly shows, it does not seem to 

 feel at ease. Its life in the water and on the mud at the banks may probably 

 be looked to as the cause of the development of the side-tlaps of the skin on 

 the toes. Its affinities with the Moor-hen, which may always be found on land 

 as well as water, are obvious; the latter, however, has simple toes. 



As a species the Common Coot is most nearly allied to F. cristata Gm. 

 of Africa in which the hinder rim of the frontal shield is raised into knobs, 

 and F. australis Gld., of Australia, which is identified with F. atra by Schlegel, 

 Dresser and Seebohm, but ranked as distinct by Sharpe — the white on the 

 tips of the outer secondaries being almost absent, and the size small. East 

 Siberian birds are said by Taczanowski to have the frontal shield with a 

 compressed rim behind. Salomon Miiller's two specimens from Java in the 

 Leyden Museum are of small size. 



ORDER LIMICOLAE. 



The Jacanas, Plovers, Sheathbills. Coursers, Sandpipers, Curlews. They 

 difi"er from the Rails by their pointed wings and light, active flight, by their 

 unconcealed habits and the open character of their haunts — usually the sea- 

 shore, the strand of rivers, mud-flats, plains, swamps, — by their incapacity for 

 swimming (except Phalaropus and to an indifferent extent some of the Waders): 

 they feed chiefly upon worms, gTubs and insects except Thinocorus and Attagis 

 which look like Turnkes), and lay a small number of eggs in a scanty nest 



