BRITISH BIRDS. 
135 
which confifts of the herbage, feeds, infers, and the 
flippery inhabitants of ftagnant waters. It feldom 
happens that the fportfman and his dog can force 
the Coot to fpring from its retreat ; for it will, in a 
manner, bury itfelf in the mud rather than take 
wing, and when it is very clofely purfued, and com- 
pelled to rife, it does this with much JluJiering and 
apparent difficulty. 
This fpecies is met with in Great Britain, at all 
feafons of the year, and it is generally believed that 
it does not migrate to other countries, but changes 
its ftations, and removes in the autumn from the 
leffer pools or loughs, where the young have been 
jreared, to the larger lakes, where flocks aflemble in 
the winter. The female commonly builds her nefl: 
in a bufli of ruflies, furrounded by the water ; * it is 
compofed of a great quantity of coarfe dried weeds, 
well matted together, and lined within 'with fofter 
and finer graflfes : Ihe lays from twelve to fifteen 
eggs at a time, and commonly hatches twice in a 
feafon : her eggs are about the fize of thofe of a 
pullet, and are of a pale brov/nifh white colour, 
* A Bald Coot built her neft in Sir William Middleton’s 
lake, at Belfay, Northumberland, among the rufiies, which were 
afterwards loofened by the wind, and, of courfe, the neil was 
driven about, and floated upon the furface of the water, in every 
direction ; notwithftanding which, the female continued to fit 
as ufual, and brought out her young upon her moveable habi- 
tation. 
