COOT 
31 
Point at Easter, 1892, a year in which all Waterfowl 
were in plenty, and Coot more numerous than any. 
After the first night in camp, when, as is the wont 
of boys in the circumstances, we hardly slept for 
excitement, I got out of the tent about six, and, gun 
in hand, explored the farther side of the point. 
Emerging from a lignum clump, I came suddenly in 
full view of an immense flock of Coot, most of them 
in the water, but some on the bank, only about 
20 yards ahead of me. In those days the average 
schoolboy of fifteen had, perhaps, a somewhat lower 
standard of sport than that which I am told actuates 
his successors of to-day ; further, I knew that the 
flesh of the Coot, though dark, is excellent eating, 
and camp meals have a double flavour if the fiece de 
resistance is the produce of the chase. Anyhow, I 
let fly " into the brown," and bagged more of the 
luckless birds than I like now to remember. 
The flocks remained about the Lake till well on in 
the winter that year ; it was the last really great 
visitation there has been. Of quite recent years 
(which, it may be noted, coincide with good seasons 
and plenty of water inland) nothing has been seen 
of them, except for an odd bird or two. 
The most obvious distinguishing mark of the Coot, 
apart from the fact that he is the only Rail-like bird 
that swims in flocks, is his lobed or half-webbed 
feet, somewhat resembling the Grebe's. Like the 
Grebe, too, he is ordinarily an apparently poor flier, 
skimming the water and not going very far, though 
