BIRDS. 



291 



The correct identification and authentication is as follows : I give first-hand 

 for it, and have, since then, also seen the bird myself. Millais writes me : 

 " The specimen now in the Perth Museum was presented by me. It was shot 

 on the Tay, near Errol, by Mr. M'Innes in December 1877. His dog put it 

 out from among the reeds. It is in splendid plumage, and not like a bird 

 that had escaped." I saw this specimen in the Museum on more than one 

 occasion.] 



lica atra, L. Common Coot. 

 Common. Resident. Breeds. 



The Coot is more of a loch-frequenter than the ^loor- or Water- 

 hen : waser, I think. He prefers back-waters, reedy bays, like the 

 old courses of waterways, which have been embanked off in the 

 course of land improvements, and such as are to be found along the 

 sides, here and there, of such slow-flowing streams as the Earn and 

 parts of the Tay, and bulrush-grown mires, and stanks and lochs 

 like Rescobie and Loch of Forfar, etc. The Coot, too, is a combative 

 bird, and easily bullies away the smaller Waterhen, forcing the latter 

 in no small measure to be content with the poorer and often less 

 suitable places. Yet it is wonderful how these two species manage 

 to increase and multiply nevertheless, though poor " Tucky " cannot 

 say "Get out, old bald-pate," and has to be polite. But not to draw 

 too fine a difference between the wisdom respectively of these two 

 cousins, I may mention that the wisdom of the Coot fails too : 

 because many are at times found frozen and dead at such places as 

 Rescobie Loch and Loch Methven, and other reedy sheets of water, 

 having been overtaken by the sudden hand of John Frost before they 

 have found time to clear out to safer quarters. The mortality on 

 such occasions is sometimes great. Such was the case in the severe 

 winter of 1880-81. Tell me, had they no "vvings ? or were they 

 caught in the iron grasp so suddenly as to completely paralyse their 

 actions] Probably sudden surprise, and "no time allowance," I 

 fancy. 



In the north-west, Loch Eigheach holds a few pairs, and also 

 Loch Dubhlach ; but these remain very select, and annually perhaps 

 limit their numbers to about two ladies and two gentlemen year 

 after year. In the south-west, Loch an Eala remains happy in the 

 presence of one pair, or at most two, as I am informed by Mr. 

 Godfrey, and I have seen a pair or so on the loch when passing in 

 the train. The area of this little sheet of water cannot be much 

 over twelve or fifteen acres, but it could hold easily, I fancy, some 

 twenty pairs of Waterhens. 



