Eulica americana 
2 
/ H 9 
Hw*. 7-/r 
When a boat approaches a bed of Coots, they swim away from it 
as long as they can, taking wing usually before it is within 100 
yards. As they swim, they scatter, the close order of the feeding 
beds being thus broken up, and they rise quite independently of one 
another. If the weather is calm, they patter along the surface 
with their feet for some distance, before they can get fully un- 
der way, but if there is a strong breeze, they rise easily and 
very quickly after not more than eight or ten steps and mount di- 
rectly upwards at an angle of about 45 , to a hight of from 20 to 
loo feet. Each bird chooses a course of its own. Thus the air 
soon becomes filled with them, cutting about in every direction 
at various e&evations. At times so thick were these flying birds 
that, in looking across tae channel 20q or 300 yards wide, we could 
not see the opposite shore at all distinctly. 
The only note which I heard from any of these birds was a 
sharp Kep^eck, or Krup, decidedly Rail-like in quality. This was 
heard both by night and day, but not at all frequently, for the 
Coot, at least when in its winter quarters, is a very silent bird. 
/ 4 ) 
