156 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



221. American Coot. Mud-hen. 



Fulica americana Gmel. 1788. 



Twice obtained in Greenland in the same year (1854); once at 

 Godthaab and once at Disco bay. (Ard. Man.) One shot on 

 a lake near Nain, Labrador, several years ago. (Packard.) Not 

 very common in the autumn in Nova Scotia. (Downs.) A summer 

 visitant, increasing in numbers in New Brunswick. (Chamberlain.) 



Breeding in the valley of the St. Lawrence and western Quebec 

 and throughout Ontario, and westward to the Pacific coast and 

 Vancouver island. The writer foun4 it scattered throughout the 

 prairie region, generally in large flocks, but often only a few.pairs, 

 or one pair, in small ponds. The chief breeding-grounds are in 

 Manitoba and northwestward. It was breeding in Vermilion lakes 

 at Banff, Rocky mountains, May nth, 1891. Richardson says its 

 northern limit is lat. 53°, and Bernard Ross puts its limit at Fort 

 Simpson, on the Mackenzie, in lat. 62° 30'. Spreadborough found 

 it to be common in all the marshes from Lesser Slave lake to the 

 Peace river, Atha. Although quite common in British Columbia, 

 only one specimen is recorded by Nelson as taken in Alaska. 



Breeding Notes. — ^The coot builds on a mass of old reeds. The 

 nest is composed of small pieces of reeds and marsh grass, with no 

 particular lining. The eggs, six or more in number, are of a clear 

 clay colour, dotted all over with specks of dark brown. As the 

 old bird has a habit of covering the nest over whenever she leaves, 

 it is very hard to find. Breeds in the marshes around Ottawa, Ont. 

 (G. R. White.) Breeds in the same localities with the Florida 

 gallinule, and constructs its nest in the same manner. (W. Saunders.) 

 Nests in reeds and grass growing in the water along the margins of 

 lakes and ponds. The nest is composed of reeds and grass, and 

 rather small and shallow. The young leave the nest as soon as 

 they are hatched. Found breeding in marshes at Indian Head 

 and Crane lake, Sask., at Banff, Rocky mountains, and at Kam- 

 loops, B.C. (Spreadborough.) In a marsh at Crane lake, composed 

 chiefly of Carex aristata and a few clumps of Scirpus lacustris, the 

 writer, in the course of an hour's wading, discovered eighteen nests 

 of this species, nearly all of which contained eleven eggs. From 

 ten to twelve was the usual number. The young hatch out very 

 irregularly, and as fast as they come from the shell they leave the 



