reed-bed ; it is often moored to the reeds, to allow of its 

 rising or falling with the water. In the lagoons of the 

 Mediterranean countries Coots congregate in enormous 

 numbers in the winter, and in Provence, Corsica, and 

 Sardinia regular battues are organized for their de- 

 struction on days fixed upon by the local authorities. 

 On these occasions many hundreds are killed from boats 

 and from the shores of these brackish lakes, the excite- 

 ment is intense, and fatal accidents by no means 

 uncommon. Until I took a part in one of these battues 

 I had no idea of the speed of a driven Coot, or the 

 height at which they frequently come over the boats 

 " down wind " ; a rocketting Coot in my opinion 

 presents quite as sporting a shot as a Pheasant in the 

 same circumstance, in fact as a test of skill in shooting, 

 I am inclined to give the preference to the wild, rather 

 than to the semi-domestic, bird. The flesh of this bird 

 is highly esteemed in the south of Europe, and is, I 

 believe, by no means despised in certain British loca- 

 lities, but in my opinion it is barely edible, even when 

 dressed by an expert. In Epirus, where the Coot is 

 exceedingly abundant, I several times witnessed the 

 curious manner in which these birds defend themselves 

 from the assaults of feathered enemies by gathering 

 together in a compact mass and simultaneously throwing 

 up a sheet of water with their feet when the raptor 

 made its stoop. On one occasion of this sort, the 

 assailant, an adult White-tailed Eagle, was so thoroughly 

 drenched by this device that it had great difficulty in 

 flapping along to a tree at not more than a hundred 

 yards from the point of attack. The cry of the Coot is 



