Plate XLVII. 



Fig. 4. FUUGA AMFRICANA-American Coot 



The American Coot, Mud Hen, or Water Hen, as this species is variously called, is a summer resi- 

 dent in suitable localities throughout the State. In the northern marshes it is plentiful ; in the large 

 reservoirs it is not uncommon; other places it is scarcer and irregular. It arrives from the South about 

 the last week in March; stragglers arc often seen much earlier. On the 22nd of February, 1883, I saw a 

 single specimen, and during the past week, March 18th to 24th, the ponds in the neighborhood of Circle- 

 ville have contained hundreds. In November it traces its course to the South. The nest is completed 

 the last of May or first of June. Nests containing fresh eggs have been found by Mr. J. B. Porter the 

 second week in July. In these cases the first sets had probably been destroyed. 



The following, upon the breeding habits of this species, as observed in the Lake Erie marshes, is 

 from the pen of Dr. F. W. Langdon : 



LOCALITY: 



"The nest is usually situated amongst the tall reeds standing in the water; occasionally, however, 

 the more open patches of saw-grass and wild-rice are selected for nesting. 



POSITION: 



"The height of the nest from the water varies. Amongst the tall reeds it is supported by their 

 stems, often a foot or more above the water, whilst, in other cases, the base rests directly upon the mud 

 or the surface of the water. 



MATEEIALS : 



"The following description of a Dakota nest of this species, by Dr. Coues, answers equally well for 

 Ohio specimens: 'Among many Coots' nests I have found, one was built in a clump of reeds where the 

 water was about knee-deep; it was a bulky affair, resting securely on a mass of reedy debris. The nest 

 itself was built of the same materials, heaped up and a little hollowed; it was about fifteen inches in 

 diameter, and half as high. The reed-stems appeared to have been bitten by the bird into short pieces ; 

 there was no special lining. This nest was a floating one, in the sense that the platform of. broken-down 

 reeds upon which it was built rested on the water ; but it was perfectly secure, raised out of the wet, 

 and though loosely constructed, could be lifted up intact.' Birds of the Northwest, page 542. 



EGGS: 



"The complement of eggs varies from eight to ten in number. They are rather sharply pointed. 

 The ground-color is clear grayish-white. The markings consist of dots and speckles of sepia distributed 

 uniformly and thickly over the entire shell, but rarely ever confluent. Few of the marks are larger than 



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