186 
THE BALD COOT. 
the boat myself the next morning, and saw the "Water-hen sitting on 
the nest. On approaching the place, I observed that she had col- 
lected a considerable quantity of grass and weeds, and tha t she had 
put them all around the nest. A week after this I went to v/atch 
her, and saw she had hatched ; and, as I drew nearer to her, she went 
into the water, and the five little ones along with her. 
The Common, or Bald Coot {FuUca atrd) — sometimes 
called the Cute, Queet, or Bald Duck. We have here the only- 
British representative of the genus Fulica, and the largest 
native water-bird of the Farri nee family, its length being 
usually sixteen inches. The head and upper parts of the 
neck are greyish black, the upper parts of the body 
dark bluish grey, the lower parts brownish grey ; it has 
a curious white horny kind of plate extending from the 
upper mandible of the bill, which is flesh-coloured, up over 
the forehead ; hence it is called the Bald Coot. The legs 
are of moderate length, and the claws very long, slender, 
and slightly arched. 
This species is generally distributed throughout Britain, 
being found in suitable localities in all parts, from the 
most southern English counties to the extreme north 
of Scotland. In winter, however, it migrates southward, 
but does not leave the country in which it is permanently 
resident, although only known as a summer visitant in 
the more southerly parts. The great flocks, which in 
^pring-time collected along the eastern shores of England, 
COOT, 
