CINEREOUS COOT. 
185 
“ is a native of North America, from Pennsylvania to Florida. 
They inhabit large rivers, fresh water inlets or bays, lagoons, 
&c., where they swim and feed amongst the reeds and grass of 
the shores; particularly in the river St Juan, in East Florida; 
where they are found in immense flocks. They are loquacious 
and noisy, talking to one another night and day ; are constantly 
on the water, the broad lobated membranes on their toes en- 
abling them to swim and dive like ducks.”* 
I observed this species to be numerous, during the winter, 
in the fresh water ponds situated in the vicinity of the river 
St Juan, or St John, in East Florida; but I did not see them 
in the river. The food which they obtain in these places must 
be very abundant and nutritious, as the individuals which I 
shot were excessively fat. One male specimen weighed twenty- 
four ounces avoirdupois. They associate with the common 
gallinule (Gallinula chloropus ;) but there is not, perhaps, one 
of the latter for twenty of the former. 
The cinereous coot is sixteen inches in length, and twenty- 
eight in extent ; bill, one and a half inch long, white, the up- 
per mandible slightly notched near the tip, and marked across 
with a band of chestnut, the lower mandible marked on each 
side with a squarish spot of the like colour, edged on the lower 
part with bright yellow or gamboge, thence to the tip, pale 
horn colour ; membrane of the forehead, dark chestnut brown ; 
irides, cornelian red ; beneath the eyes, in most specimens, a 
whitish spot ; the head and neck are of a deep shining black, 
resembling satin; back and scapulars, dirty greenish olive; 
shoulders, breast, and wing-coverts, slate blue ; the under parts 
are hoary ; vent, black ; beneath the tail, pure white ; primaries 
and secondaries, slate, the former tipt with black, the latter 
with white, which does not appear when the wing is closed ; 
outer edges of the wings, Avhite; legs and toes, yellowish 
green, the scalloped membrane of the latter, lead colour; 
* Letter from Mr Bartram to the author. 
