FULICA ATRA.
C o o f j ^
Fúlica aíra, Linntei et auctorum.
aterrima, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. tom.?i. p. 703.
cetfúops et leucoryx, Sparrtfian, Mus, Cami fas. i. pTs. 12 and 13.
atraía et pulíala, Pallas.
- platyuros, Brehrn.
W ere every one disposed to protect the Coot, there .would not be a river, mere, or large pond in the British
Islands without the preseqejttrf this ornamental and peaceful b ird ; for it takes advantage o f any friendly
protection afforded to it, bylresorting to such situations for the purpose of breeding, during the months of
spring and summer; in winter, when the inland ponds and water-courses become ice-bound, the Coot
gradually migrates southward* ',yhere the waters are still open, some to our large rivers, while others find
an asylum in estuaries and the fiat oozy shores o f the sea-coast. I may particularize Southampton Water,
the bays o f the South Coast, and the Harbour of Poole. In such localities, especially if the weather be
severe, the Coot assembles in vast multitudes, for they there find a plentiful supply of food; but, I regret to
say, thousauds annually fall to the gunners, who steal upon the congregated masses in fiat-bottomed punts,
or await tbeir passage from the sea to the open saline marshes o f the interior. I t is said that their flesh
is good, and that they are really e a te n ; but o f this I cannot bear personal testimony, since I have always
regarded them in au opposite lig h t; and it will be from sheer^qecessity if ever I shoot Coots for the
purpose o f eating. Independently of the British Islands, the Copt enjoys a wide range over the Old
W o rld ; for it is found throughout the continent o f Europe, fr&m north to :south, and in the latter
direction proceeds considerably into Africa; eastward it is foundfas far as China and Japan, and in all the
intervening countries of Asia'Minor, India, and Siam. I believe it also occurs in Java and Sumatra, but of
this ! am not certain. In Australia it is represented by the Fúlica australis, in South Africa by the F. cristat a,
arid in North America by the F. americana; thus each, portions;!’ the globe has its own particular species
of this very singular form. The Coot is so excellent a swimmer th at the surface of the water may be said
to be its natural abode; for I believe it never dives, unless to elude an enemy or to obtain some particular
article o f d ie t: on land its gait is as ungraceful as that o f a Swan under similar circumstances. Its natural food
consists o f the leaves^óf water-grasses and other aquatic plants, insects, mollusca, and doubtless the fry of
fish are not rejected; in a state of semi- captivity, it readily eats any cereals that may be given to it. Its flight
is heavy and o f sh o rt duration; its neck is then stretched forward 4}to its greatest length in front, while its
legs are trailed to. their fullest extent behind. From the dense and.oilv charactefttff its plumage, its body
and wings; are always protected from w e r f it .swims easily through .the water, ana stealthily threads the
herbage, half submerged, when danger is a t hand. That the Coot has a powerful enemy in the Peregrine
is evidenced by the account I have given in my description of that species, where it will be seen that that
Falcon not only takes it for food, but destroys it for mere sport.
The sexgs ore precisely alike in colour, but the female is never ..-so large nqAso heavy as the male; both
(he conspicuous plate on the forehead, which becomes raised and much dilated ju st prior to the
•r.yeaso::, mid rapidly diminishes after the duty of reproduction. has been completed; this almost
horny plate, whence has originated the trivial name o f Bald Coot, is either o f a pure milky white o r slightly
suffused with rose-colour. That the. Coot may be easily domesticated we have abundant proof, several
examples having lived *m the ponds in the Gardens o f the Zoological Society, and become as tame and
familiar as any of the other birds in the aviaries. I must mention, however, that, like the Moorhen
( Gallínula eft h r opus), it show* a great antipathy to newly-hatched ducklings and other birds, and sometimes
kills them with a single stroke o f its powerful bill. It occasionally utters a loud harsh note o r crew, as
stated by Meyer; this note is wwt&y monosyllabic, but is sometimes rapidly repeated. I believe that the
wings o f this bird, like those oi the Moorhen, are brought into action more often by night than by d a y : it
is then that its partial migrations from one part o f the country to another are performed; and those who
are resident in the country must have often heard its peculiar call while passing, in the night-time, from
one part of a river to another. The weight o f the male during the breeding-season is a trifle less than 2 lbs.,
while the average weight o f the female is 1 lb. 8 ozs.
I shell now give some account o f a portion of the economy of this bird which I consider to be the most
interesting part o f its history, namely, its uidification; and then a description o f the young, from the commencement
of its existence to maturity, which has never yet been done so minutely by the ornithologists of
this country as, in my opinion, the subject demands. During the month o f April, any pond, lake, or