Coot Mayhew 1947 Mar. 15 Lake Merritt, Oakland, Alameda Co., Calif. At 10:25 A.M. a single Coot was seen preening about 40' out away. At this distance the white bill was very noticeable. When it began to swim, it went forward with a distinct rocking motion, thrusting its neck forward with each stroke. When it began to feed, it stood head first, waving its yellowish-green feet all the while its head was submerged. Only about 1/3 of the body remained above water when it fed. Occasionally, it merely stuck its head under water, apparently in shallow water where the head would reach food without submerging the rest of the body. At 10:42 AM, two individuals were seen about 30' away diving for food. They seemed to actually leave the water a dive head-first. One remained under 12 seconds, the other for 10 seconds, the first one again for 10 seconds. When they return to the surface, they seem to come up in a normal swimming position, not head first. They always give a shake of the head after emerging. 1950 May 16 Conoway Ranch, 2 mi east of Woodland, Yolo Co., Calif. A nest with 4 eggs was found at the edge of some tules growing along an irrigation ditch. The nest is 1/4 mile north of the tin roof. The nest is built of dried tule stems forming a platform about 12 inches across the top & has the eggs about the same distance above the water. The eggs are light brown-