SUPPLEMENT TO BIRDS OF ESSEX COUNTY 75 



On March 20, 1919, a male Florida Gallinule was caught alive by some boys 

 at Essex. The specimen is now in the collection of the Boston Society of 

 Natural History. 



94 [221] Fulica americana Gmel. 



Coot; "Mud-hen"; "Pond Crow"; "Blue Peter.-" 



Transient visitor; rare in spring, common in the autumn. March 31 to 

 April 15 ; September 3 to November 7. 



Sagamore Pond has furnished me with a good field of observation for these 

 as for the other rails. Although they are expert divers they also feed in shallow 

 water by dipping like river ducks. While Black Ducks and Baldpates often 

 make use of the Coots' diving capacity, by stealing the weeds brought by them to 

 the surface, I have also noticed the Coots getting good feeding without any work 

 by stealing the weeds brought up from below by the diving Lesser Scaup. 



Before alighting on the water they often run for several yards on the surface, 

 using the wings at the same time, and when startled from the water, they some- 

 times run on the surface in a similar manner for a hundred yards and then 

 alight again. 



95 [222] Phalaropus fulicarius (Linn.). 



Red Phalarope. 



Rare and irregular transient visitor. May 15 ; July 11 to November 24. 



Mrs. Edmund Bridge was so fortunate as to see one of these birds in full 

 nuptial plumage off Nahant on July 11, 1913. I have not seen the bird in this 

 plumage in Essex County, but I had an excellent chance to observe one at No 

 Man's Land off Martha's Vineyard, on June 15, 1913. The bird was swimming 

 in a small pond back of the beach, riding lightly on the water and nodding its 

 head in a dove-like manner as it advanced. The chestnut red of its throat and 

 breast were very conspicuous ; its back appeared light brown with white and black 

 streaks and it had a broad white edging to the secondaries. When it flew, this 

 white band was more conspicuous. It alighted on the shore of the little pond 

 and ran along the beach. It emitted a whistle which was clear and pleasant at 

 times, and again sharp and grating; at times the note could be expressed as a 

 creak. 



