THE WHITE-WINGED COOT 401 
‘¢White-winged Surf Duck,’’ or more commonly 
and more simply as the ‘‘White-wing.’’ This 
species is more common in the bays and en- 
closed arms of the sea than are the others, which 
prefer the open water. The ‘‘White-wing’’ also 
is much larger in size. The habits of the three 
are almost identical. 
In breeding dress and full plumage the male 
is glossy black all over except the white specu- 
lum, (wing-mark), and a tiny spot below and 
behind the eye. The bill with a large lump at 
the base and feathered to the nostrils, black at 
the base and on the edge to the nail, on the sides 
the black merging into a purplish tinge, then 
grading into deep red, whitening toward the 
tip, the nail orange. Iris white or pale yellow; 
feet and legs deep orange or bright red 
with black webs; these colors are duller in the 
females. 
The coloring of the female is of a brownish 
cast, the edges of the feathers lighter. She has 
the white speculum as in the male, also the knob 
at the base of the bill, though this is not so 
prominent as in the male. The bill is plain 
black. 
The White-winged Coot in any plumage may 
