9 Fulica americana -119 ,5 Jewel Lake Contra Costa Co, Caly. Bird is covered with black & very loose almost down feathers but will a well defined margin- not even pimples where the wing feathers and rectrices will be. in fact- the wings are newly bare-resulting from a growth in wingsize but no compensating growth of feather covering. There are still a few colored plumes on the wings but they are mostly faded. Still a slight down stripe on the breast but the complex down pattern on the ventral body surface is missing - feet and legs gray green- and the eyes are very nearly the same color. Still some bleached white feathers on each of head and the white tips of the black feather on top of the head are wearing off. The white under tail coverts are coming out- but still hidden in a mass of black down. Bill as below with a greenish tip, then a black band and behind [illegible] green grading to yellow-flesh color--the whole being streaked with black pencil marks. - The shield is blood red-capillaries or small vessels being visible. - Earlier while trying to drive for the loop net-I flushed it out of H 18.-it flew the length of the lake and would have left except that it hit the concrete dam, 14 inche above the water- and fell back into the lake- at 12 am. I have not seen its bird since then. Also saw