52 BED-LOBED COOT. 



killed in Sicily. Wright records several having been killed in Malta. 

 It nests like F. atra, but, according to Gerbe and Degland, the eggs 

 are more obscure, and scattered over with a greater number of sj)ots. 

 It is found throughout Africa." 



Mr. Tristram, in his interesting visit to Lake Halloula, from which 

 1 quoted in my notice of the last species, fell in with this bird, and 

 speaks of it thus: — "But the principal features of the open water 

 were the myriads of Crested Coots, Wigeons, and Pochards. The 

 Wigeons never remain to breed, but flocks of them still lingered, 

 while a month later not one of them was to be seen. The Crested 

 Coot appears in no way to differ, as to its habits, from its well- 

 known congener, though its red naked forehead, with the two con- 

 spicuous lobes, suffice to distinguish it at a glance. It is somewhat 

 the larger of the two species, and the eggs run invariably from a 

 quarter to half an inch longer than those of the Common Coot. 

 Pushing among the reeds, we soon found two or three of their 

 nests, some placed among the stumps of old reed clumps, others 

 in little openings on artificial mounds. I never found the Common 

 Coot here; and though it certainly occurs on the lake in winter, 

 in company ■ with its congener, I believe that each species confines 

 itself to its own nesting-place. Thus, in the lakes I visited in 

 Eastern Algeria the following summer, while Fulica atra abounded, 

 FuUca cristata never once came under our observation." 



Colonel Irby (opus cit.) says of this bird: — "It is both resident 

 and migratory near Tangier. Those which migrate return from the 

 north in September. The nest and eggs resemble those of Fulica 

 atra, with which species they associate, but are much more numerous. 

 ■ — (Favier.) 



"This Coot breeds at Pas Dondru, in numbers, about the 20th. 

 of April; and, as above mentioned, the eggs are not to be distin- 

 guished from those of the Common Coot f F. atra); so unless the 

 bird be snared on the nest, the eggs cannot be said to be- iden- 

 tified. I never saw this species in Andalucia, where it is said to 

 occur, and I have seen specimens at Granada marked as Spanish. 

 I should prefer to call this species the "Ked-lobed Coot," as it 

 certainly is not crested, being in all respects similar to the Common 

 Coot (F. atra)., except that it has two red lobes on the white 

 frontal patch." 



The Hed-lobed Coot is entirely black, and is distinguished from the 

 Common Coot by the bony protuberances or caruncles at the top of 

 the frontal plate, which are red and prominent, on a white base, by the 

 absence of any white bar in the wings, and by its greater size. The 



