Wilson's coot. 
^37 
Thi; chief distinctions between this species and the 
former consist in the callous on the forehead being in 
this bird of a deep chesnut, as particularly mentioned 
by Wilson : the feathers of the vent are quite black, 
and the under tail-coverts white ; but in the Common 
Coot these parts correspond with the rest of the plu- 
mage ; and the frontal callous is white : both species 
are of similar length, but the present one is inferior in 
the size of its body, legs, head, and beak ; the latter 
part is thinner and slighter, and considerably shorter 
than in the former bird, and the callous extends but 
half an inch over the head : the general colour of the 
plumage corresponds in the two birds, but the outer 
margin of the primary wing-feather is more con- 
spicuously marked with white, and there are a few 
white feathers on the upper edge of the wing in this 
species. 
These birds inhabit various parts of North America, 
and make their appearance in Pennsylvania in the 
beginning of October among the muddy flats and 
islands of the river Delaware, which are overgrown 
with reeds and rushes, and are periodically over- 
flowed : they are not very abundant : their food con- 
sists of various aquatic plants, seeds, and insects, as 
in the former species. 
