104 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 61, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



But, considering (1) the apparent confusion of the three scoters 

 by Turner (shown by his description and misplacement of the 

 Russian names) ; (2) that Bent and his party did not observe 

 it nesting there in 1911; (3) that we did not find any evidence 

 of it nesting there on expeditions throughout the chain, when all 

 islands were examined; and (4) that none of the Aleuts re- 

 ported it nesting; then we must conclude that nesting of the 

 common scoter in the Aleutian Islands as a whole must remain 

 in doubt. 



Mergus merganser: Common Merganser 

 Mergus merganser americanus 



Attu: Chu-vai-ach, Siss-uch 



Tan-num-ak-tum. sak-oi-a 



Chung-ung-e-koo-loo-ghearch 



Ha-Ka chai-ii-too 

 Russian, Commander Islands: Bolschoj Krachal (Stejneger) 



Friedmann (1935) records a number of specimens from Kodiak, 

 as well as a number of eggs, which he said to be those of the 

 common merganser, and he quotes Bretherton as saying that 

 this duck nests on Kodiak. 



Osgood (1904) had very little information on this merganser 

 for the base of the Alaska Peninsula, but he mentions an adult 

 male killed at Becharof Lake. 



Cahalane (1944) observed several on the Naknek River on 

 September 4, 1940. 



Jaques (1930) found flocks of these ducks (most were males) 

 near Port Moller in late May and June, but he saw no sign of 

 nesting. 



In 1936, we were informed by residents at Chignik that two 

 kinds of mergansers occur there. 



A number of records of occurrence are available for Unalaska, 

 probably because it has always been a prominent port where 

 vessels put in during voyages through that region. Dall (1873) 

 said several specimens were taken there on December 20, 1873, 

 and he adds that none were seen in the Shumagins. Turner 

 says they winter at Unalaska, but do not breed there. Eyerdam 

 (1936a) reports that two birds were collected at Unalaska on 

 June 10 and August 6, 1932. 



We saw no common mergansers in the Aleutians. The chief 

 of Attu Island, who furnished the series of names for this bird, 

 said that a few common mergansers nest there but that they 

 are more numerous in winter. 



To sum up, the common merganser occurs sparingly from 



