COMMON SCOTER ^77 



strength of one occurrence at Filey (misprinted " Filby "), 

 a male, assuming winter plumage, shot on 15th August 1845, 

 by Mr. Curzon, and submitted to Yarrel for inspection (R. J. 

 Bell, Zool. 1846, p. 1249 ; and Yarrell's " British Birds "). 

 The specimen is now in the collection of Lord Scarsdale of 

 Kedleston. 



COMMON SCOTER. 



CEdemia nigra (Z.). 



Winter visitant, common on the coast ; very numerous in some 

 seisons ; a few remain during summer. Observed on inland waters 

 occasionally. 



The first allusion to the Common Scoter, as a Yorkshire 

 bird, is found in Willughby's " Ornithology," under the 

 heading of : — 



" The Black Diver or Scoter — Anas niger minor. Iti 

 case stuff was sent us first by Mr. Fr. Jessop out of Yorkshire : 

 Next we got it at Chester (in 1671) as we have said : Then 

 Sir Thomas Brown sent us a picture of it from Norwich ; 

 and lastly Mr. Johnson [of Brignall, near Greta Bridge] sent 

 a description of it in his method of Birds, in which description 

 are some particulars not observed by us, viz : — that the 

 Male hath on the upper side some tincture of shining green, 

 and that in the Hen the Neck and Head on both sides, as 

 far as the Eyes, is white." (Will. " Orn." 1678, pp. 366-7.) 



Thomas AlUs, in 1844, wrote : — 



CEdemia nigra. — Common Scoter — Shot near Doncaster in severe 

 winters, and at York occasionally ; my friend J. Heppenstall says 

 ' A specimen of this marine species was found quite fresh in one of the 

 streets of Sheffield ; it appeared to have died from exhaustion as it 

 was very poor.' It is met with on the moors about Huddersfield ; 

 has been taken near Selby. Dr. Farrar says the Scoter was irregular 

 in its appearance, both in numbers and season ; in July 1834 a very 

 large flock visited the extensive sheets of water in Bretton Park, and 

 great numbers of them were shot. A. Strickland remarks that this 

 is much more frequent than the Velvet Scoter, and seldom a winter 

 passes but some are killed. 



