128: 
COMMON COOT. Crass IL. 
. Coots frequent lakes and still rivers; they 
make their nest among the rushes, with grass, 
reeds, &c. floating on the water, so as to rise 
and fall with it. They lay five or six large eggs, of 
a dirty whitish hue, sprinkled all over with mi- 
nute deep rust-color spots; and we have been 
credibly informed that they will sometimes lay 
fourteen and more. The young when just 
hatched are very deformed, and the head mixed 
with a red coarse down. In winter they often 
repair to the sea; we have seen the channel 
near Southampton covered with them; they are 
often brought to that market, where they are 
exposed to sale, without their feathers, and 
scalded like pigs. We once saw at Spaldimg, in 
Lincolnshire, a Coot shot near that place which 
was white, except a few of the feathers in the 
wings, and about the head. 
“* The Coot extends to India and China, and 
is also found in North America.” J. L. 
