COMMON COOT. 
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ends • the innermost secondaries washed with cindery-grey like 
the back; tail black; head, hind-neck, and throat black; 
remainder of under surface of body light slaty-grey, with slight 
remains of ashy margins to the feathers of the chest and centre 
of the breast ; under wing-coverts slaty-grey, with a line of white 
feathers round the bend of the wing ; under tail-coverts black , 
bill very pale lavender, with a pinkish tinge ; frontal shield 
ivory-white ; tarsi and feet pearly-grey, with a greenish tinge on 
the sides of the tarsus; garter orange-yellow; iris dark brown. 
Total length, i4'5 inches ; culmen, from base of shield, i'35 ; 
wing, 8-6; tail, 2 2; tarsus, rs; middle toe and claw, 3.85. 
Adult Female. — Similar in plumage to the male, but slightly 
smaller. Total length, 14 inches ; wing, 8-i. 
Young.— Much browner than the adult, the feathers of the 
head dusky black edged with white ; lores, eyebrows, and sides 
of face white ; under surface of body ashy-whitish, browner on 
the flanks. 
Nestling.— Black, with white filamentous tips to some of the 
down ; head bare. 
Eange in Great Britain.- The Coot occurs everywhere from 
north to south in Great Britain, where localities suited to its 
habits are to be met with, such as large ponds, lakes, and quiet 
rivers. In some places, especially in the South of England, 
such as Slapton Ley in Devonshire, and Poole Harbour, the 
Coots appear in winter in large numbers, particularly when they 
are frozen out of their more northern haunts. In Ireland the 
species is reported to breed in every county, though it is more 
local than the Moor-Hen. 
Range outside tne British Islands.— The Coot is found over the 
greater part of Europe and Asia, but does not range beyond the 
Mediterranean, nor further than the Indo-Malayan Islands in 
Asia. The northern range of the species extends occasionally 
to S.VV. Iceland, and it has even been recorded from Greenland, 
while in Norway it nests up to 70 N. Lat. 
Habits.— The Coot prefers larger sheets of water than the 
Moor-Hen, and does not take up its abode on such small ponds 
as the last-named bird oftentimes affects. During the breeding 
