ds 
reed-bed ; it is often moored to the reeds, to allow of its 
rising or falling with the water. In the lagoons of the 
Mediterranean countries Coots congregate in enormous 
numbers in the winter, and in Provence, Corsica, and 
Sardinia regular battues are organized for their de- 
struction on days fixed upon by the local authorities. 
On these occasions many hundreds are killed from boats 
and from the shores of these brackish lakes, the excite- 
ment is intense, and fatal accidents by no means 
uncommon. Until I took a part in one of these battues 
I had no idea of the speed of a driven Coot, or the 
height at which they frequently come over the boats 
“down wind”; a rocketting Coot’ in my opinion 
presents quite as sporting a shot as a Pheasant in thie 
same circumstance, in fact as a test of skill in shooting, 
I am inclined to give the preference to the wild, rather 
than to the semi-domestic, bird. The flesh of this bird 
is highly esteemed in the south of Europe, and is, I 
believe, by no means despised in certain British loca- 
lities, but in my opinion it is barely edible, even when 
dressed by an expert. In Epirus, where the Coot is 
exceedingly abundant, I several times witnessed the 
curious manner in which these birds defend themselves 
from the assaults of feathered enemies by gathering 
together in a compact mass and simultaneously throwing 
up a sheet of water with their feet when the raptor 
made its stoop. On one occasion of this sort, the 
assailant, an adult White-tailed Eagle, was so thoroughly 
drenched by this device that it had great difficulty in 
flapping along to a tree at not more than a hundred 
yards from the point of attack. The cry of the Coot is 
