Posted by Caroline Turner on February 23, 2001 at 03:18:34 from 132.162.237.62:
Has it ever been speculated that perhaps the Coot with a white feather
in Coot Club is in fact an American? In comparing American and English
Bird books I have found that the American Coot has a white feather under
its tail while the British Coot does not, but that otherwise the
species are nearly identical. I know the the Coot in CC had its white
feather on its wing, but still the similarity seems striking. The
American Coot is observed as a vagrant in England. Could Arthur Ransome
have been inspired by seeing an American Coot? What do people think?