19. 



The Coot 



The American or cinereous coot 

 is about 14 inches long with an ex- 

 tent of wing of 25 inches; bill long, 

 the beak 1% inches: weight about 

 one pound. The head is small, neck 

 slender, body rather full; feet strong 

 tibia bare a little above the joint; 

 the pkunage is soft and blended. 

 The bill is grayish white with a 

 spot near the e'nd; the general color 

 of the upper parts is a deep bluish 

 gray, blackish on the head and neck, 

 and olivaceous on the shoulders. 

 They are found through North Amer- 

 ica, in New England in the autumn, 

 retiring south in November. Their 

 favorite resorts are the borders of 

 ponds and rivers lined with thick 

 reeds, to which they fly on approach 

 of danger. They swim, dive, fly, 

 and run well, but rise however with 

 difficulty, fluttering with the wings 

 and striking with the feet to assist. 

 They feed especially in the morning 

 and evening near the edge of the 

 water, and in the open lands border- 

 ing on streams and lakes. The food 

 consists of aquatic insects and plants, 

 mollusks, small fish, worms, seeds, 

 and tender grasses and leaves. 

 They probably breed in the North- 

 ern States; the nest, built of decayed 

 vegetable matter and sticks, is 

 placed near the water among the 

 reeds. It is sometimes carried away 

 by inundations, when it floats with- 

 out injury to the eggs or displacing 

 the female. The eggs are ' from 

 seven to ten in number, of an ash- 

 gray color, spotted minutely with 

 black, and the young take to the 

 water as soon as hatched. A com- 

 mon name for this species is the 

 mad hen. They are abundant in 

 New Orleans market in winter, and 

 are much used as food for the poor- 

 er classes, who skin instead of 

 plucking them. In New England 

 the name of "coot" is improperly 

 applied to several species of duck, 



among them the Scoter duck, etc. — 

 [Tidings from Nature. 



-•-♦-* 



Yellow-breast Chat. 



(iCTERIA VIREXS.) 



This beautiful and handsome 

 species has nothing but its rich 

 plumage to recommend itself to our 

 notice, having no sweet song to 

 cheer you with while rambling 

 through the woods. But for all 

 that they are an attractive species, 

 and I for one would sadly miss them 

 if they should fail to pay their an- 

 nual visit. They are migratory, 

 arriving from farther south where 

 they winter, about the 10th of April 

 and I can assure you they generally 

 make their arrival known by their 

 constant chattering which they keep 

 up all day long and often far into 

 the night. They commence to build 

 about the 25th of April, as I have 

 found their nest with eggs as early 

 as May 9th, Incubation advanced. 

 They build a compact nest (seldom 

 more than four feet from the ground) 

 composed outwardly of grass and 

 bark from the grape vine, lined with 

 fine roots and dry grass. Lay four 

 whith eggs speckled with reddish 

 brown spots. For three consecutive 

 years I have found a nest of this 

 species in the same spot and on the 

 same day of the month and same 

 number of eggs, three, in it. 



They seem to pi-efer the myrtle 

 bushes to others to build in, at least 

 I have found it so, as I have found 

 them oftener in them than in any 

 others. They are a very jealous 

 bird, hating for any one to intrude 

 on their haunts, chattering and 

 and scolding as long as you are in 

 sight. I know they raise two, if not 

 three broods during the season, as I 

 have found their nests as late as 

 July 17th with fresh eggs. 

 T. D. P. 



Savannah, Ga. 

 — The Young OologisL 



