144 BULLETIN 130, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Courtship. — W. Leon Dawson (1909) thus describes the courtship. 



I have seen a surf scoter courtship in mid-April. Five males are devoting 

 themselves to one female. They chase each other about viciously, but no 

 harm seems to come of their threats; and they crovt^d around the female as 

 to force a decision. She in turn chases them off with lowered head and out- 

 stretched neck and great show of displeasure. Now and then one flees in 

 pretended fright and with great commotion, only to settle down at a dozen 

 yards and come sidling back. If she will deign a moment's attention, the 

 flattered gallant dips his head and scoots lightly under the surface of the 

 water, showering himself repeatedly with his fluttering wings. One suitor 

 swims about dizzily, half submerged, while another rises from the water re- 

 peatedly, apparently to show the fair one how little assistance he requires 

 from his feet in starting, a challenge some of his corpulent rivals dare not 

 accept, I ween. I have watched them thus for half an hour, off and on, and 

 the villains still pursue her. 



Charles E. Alford (1920) describes another interesting perform- 

 ance, as follows: 



I once watched 8 male surf scoters wooing one female, and a most absurd 

 spectacle it was. Immediately the female dived, down went all her admirers 

 in pursuit. Then after a lapse of about 40 seconds the males would reappear 

 one by one, the female, who was always the last to rise to the surface, being 

 invariably accompanied by one male ; but whether it was the same male on 

 each occasion I was unable to distinguish. For a few seconds pandemonium 

 would reign, the rejected suitors splashing through the water and pecking 

 at their rivals in the most vicious manner, whilst the object of their desire 

 floated serenely in their midst, apparently well pleased that she should be 

 the object of so much commotion. Then she would dive again, and so the 

 performance continued for over an hour, when they drifted out of sight. 



He writes again (1921) : "When displaying, the male surf scoter 

 swims rapidly to and fro, keeping head and neck erect, and at inter- 

 vals dipping its beak into the water. Should several males be pres- 

 ent, the female swims from one to the other, bowing her head, or 

 darting occasionally at some undesirable suitor.'' Maj. Allan Brooks 

 (1920) says that he has "seen them vigorously courting in central 

 British Columbia, well along in June : three or four males whirl- 

 ing about a female on the water like whirling beetles, and uttering 

 a curious low, liquid note, like water dropping in a cavern." Mr. 

 Charles L. AVliittle writes to me that he has seen active courtship 

 in the fall, October 5, which he describes as follows : 



The males would face the females and bow rapidly and repeatedly, even 

 to the extent of emersing their heads, thereby spraying themselves with water, 

 the females watching the operation with interest. Another pretty and 

 characteristic maneuver on the part of the males was to fly away suddenly about 

 75 feet, their wings being raised over their backs till the tips nearly touched 

 as they alighted on the water, and then to swim back to their mates with 

 great velocity, only to repeat their bowing. The males chased each other 

 away from their respective mates by lowering their heads and swimming 



