Feet and Legs AST 
it for another footful. We cannot imagine a heron per- 
forming such an action. Although the toes of gallinules 
are so long and slender, yet, when the necessity arises, 
they can swim quite rapidly for a short distance, working 
their feet with such effort that the whole body bobs in 
concert. Their cousins, 
the coots, resemble the 
phalaropes in having 
broad lobes of skin 
along each toe, so that, 
although they and the 
gallinules are often 
seen feeding in the same 
locality, yet the nata- 
tory ability of the coot 
allows it to venture 
beyond the reserves of 
the other species. The 
toe-lobes also serve an- 
other important func- 
tion in permitting the 
coots to feed upon soft 
mud, thus keeping them 
from sinking below the 
Fic. 303.—Foot of Coot. 
surface, Just as the horny “snowshoe” of the grouse sup- 
ports it on the snow. 
Herons are furnished with a comb-like edge to one of 
the claws, similar to that on the claw of the whippoor- 
will, but as yet we have no clue to its use. Although 
differing so greatly from hawks in their method of feeding, 
