136 



LOBIPEDID.E. 



from thence, however, as far south as Brazil , and it is also 

 found in Jamaica and most of the West Indian Islands. In 

 Africa it is known, from north to south, but the greater 

 numbers are met with in Europe and Asia. 



In the fall of the year the numbers that congregate in some 

 counties for the purpose of migration are not only hundreds, 

 but several thousands. In the months of October and Novem- 

 ber, the autumnal migration is carried on, and in March and 

 April they return again. A black mass of these birds at such 

 times literally covers some lakes and ponds to a great extent ; 

 when they take wing, or are on their journey, the birds may 

 easily be distinguished from ducks by their irregular and 

 disorderly arrangements of flight. The Coot travels by 

 night, starting about dusk, and settling in the best locality 

 at hand at day-break, which accounts for its irregular appear- 

 ance on ponds from one day to another. In some instances 

 a flock may be found on the surface of some snug inlet of the 

 sea, although it does not prefer the sea if inland water is 

 within reach. 



Early in the spring of the year, when the evening is very 

 still, and the moon bright, these birds may be heard flying 

 over and uttering their call-note, and if one has the patience 

 to wait for an hour longer, the larger flights are almost sure 

 to follow the forerunners ; these birds being among the first 

 that travel northward are, as it were, giving notice of the 

 approaching mild weather of spring, and are therefore very 

 interesting to the observer of nature. 



The principal locality chosen by the Coot, is still deep 

 water where large beds of reeds and rushes grow either in 

 patches, or surrounding the margin of the water, and there 

 the bird is constantly swimming about either among the 

 rushes, or near to them ; it does not often come on shore 

 unless some strip of land extends far into the lake or pond. 



