. The birds of Washington; a complete, scientific and popular account of the 372 species of birds found in the state . fl_\-ers. In flight they carrv theirlegs at full length behind them, and seem to use them quite cleverlv as a rud-der, to supply the deficiencies of the abbreviated tail. Youthful slayers of mud-hens there will always be, but it is fortunatethat the creatures have not yet been taken seriously as game birds hereabouts,as thev have East and South, where tlie legitimate obiects of the chase are 6i6 TIIK COOT. ixIkiusu-(I. \\\ .ill nu-aiis lit us take ourselves
. The birds of Washington; a complete, scientific and popular account of the 372 species of birds found in the state . fl_\-ers. In flight they carrv theirlegs at full length behind them, and seem to use them quite cleverlv as a rud-der, to supply the deficiencies of the abbreviated tail. Youthful slayers of mud-hens there will always be, but it is fortunatethat the creatures have not yet been taken seriously as game birds hereabouts,as thev have East and South, where tlie legitimate obiects of the chase are 6i6 TIIK COOT. ixIkiusu-(I. \\\ .ill nu-aiis lit us take ourselves iu hand iu sufVicicnlseason to avoid liotli the luiiuiliaiing necessity of falling i)ack on inud-hcns fors|»ort. and of iryinj; to reconcile our palates to the uii(|ucstional)ly rank fleshwhich this hird furnishes. The O>ol puts a hatful of speckled egj,s on a bulky heaj) of hroken se<lgcsor lules. This accumulation may he placed either on dry land near somewaterway, or in various depths of water in the weedy or reedy margins of alake. Not infre(|ueiiily nests are built on the water and mrwired to standing. A IIATFII. reeds, after the of Cirebes,—with this ditTercnce, however, that theCoot under such circimistances always chooses dried weed-stalks, or crumi>ledbulrush stems for nesting material, so that the buoyancy of tlie submergetll>ortion will lift the stirface of the structure high and dry alntve the water. It is not mere chance that has led us to consider the Coots and the Kailsimmediately after the Cimuse. There are many |)oints or resemblance U-tweenthe Collitur and the Ialudicohc lx)th in structure and habit: and we follow THE WHOOPING CRANE. 617 tliose who hold them to be much more closeI_\- related than, for example, theLiiiiicolcc and the Gallincc. We should doubtless ha\e clearer insight into thephylogenetic history of the Coot, if we were able to interpret the meaning ofthe chicks downy plumage. As is well known, the young of any anim
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