UFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN WILD FOWL 119 



of departure: Georgia, Brunswick, May 5; New York, Long Island, 

 June 8, and Waterford, April 30 ; Maine, May 29 ; Ontario, Ottawa, 

 May 8. Dates of arrival in Alaska : Point Hope, March 17 ; Point 

 Barrow, April 27; Humphrey Point, May 15. Arrival at Banks 

 Land, Mercy Bay, June 1. 



Fall migration. — Early dates of arrival : Massachusetts, October 

 21 ; New York, Cayuga, November 3 ; Pennsylvania, Erie, November 

 13; Ontario, Toronto, November 25; Ohio, Columbus, November 1: 

 North Carolina, Dare County, December 3; Virginia, Cobb Island, 

 Pecember 19. Late dates of departure : Alaska, Point Barrow, 

 ♦December 2, and Wainwright, November 9; Mackenzie, Fort Simp- 

 son, October 25. 



Casual records. — Has wandered south on the Atlantic coast to 

 Georgia (Ossabaw Island, December 1, 1904, St. Catherine Island, 

 December 3, 1904, and Brunswick, April 25 and May 5, 1890) , on the 

 Pacific coast to central California (San Francisco, winter of 

 1879-80), and in the interior to Alberta (Calgary, November 4, 

 1894), and to Iowa (Keokuk, November 18, 1894). 



Egg dates. — Arctic Canada : Sixteen records, June 27 to July 8. 

 Alaska : Twelve records, June 10 to July 5 ; six records, June 20 to 

 July 3. Greenland : Four records, July 11 to 25. 



OIDEMIA AMERICANA Swainson 

 AMERICAN SCOTER 



HABITS 



This is the least known and the rarest of the three species of 

 scoters or " coots " which migrate up and down our coasts on both 

 sides of the continent ; it is also the hardest of the three to identify 

 in life, as it has no distinctive marks visible at a distance; hence 

 it is commonly referred to by nearly all observers in connection with 

 the other two, and it is Very difficult to separate much that is appli- 

 cable to this species alone. This group as a whole seems to be 

 rather unpopular among naturalists, as it is among sportsmen; con- 

 sequently comparatively little effort has been devoted to the study of 

 its habits. 



Spring. — The spring migration of the American scoter, on the 

 Atlantic coast, is eastward and northward along the seacoast; I car 

 find no evidence of an overland flight to the interior, which is so 

 conspicuous in the white-winged scoter. During April and the early 

 part of May large numbers may be seen migrating eastward through 

 Vineyard Sound and around Cape Cod. On the south coast of 

 Labrador we saw them flying eastward during the latter part of May 

 and the first half of June. While migrating the three species usually 



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