254 BRITISH BIRDS 



yellow eyes, the other with a golden dagger for a beak — so is the 

 scoter's blackness relieved, and its handsomeness brought out, by a 

 touch of bright orange on the upper mandible. It is the most 

 marine of the diving ducks, and a deep-sea feeder like the long- 

 tailed duck. Its breeding-grounds are in northern Europe, "West 

 Siberia, and Iceland, but a few pairs breed annually in the north 

 of Scotland. The nest is a hoUow in the ground near the sea, 

 lined with dead leaves and grass, and with down from the sitting- 

 bird. The eggs are eight or nine in number, and of a pale greyish 

 buff. In winter the black scoter visits our coasts in thousands, 

 and is the most common sea-duck. It does not appear to breed 

 until its second year, as large numbers in immature plumage remain 

 on our coasts throughout the summer. The scoter has a harsh 

 cry like that of the tufted duck, and in spring the drake has a 

 love-call, said to be not unmusical. 



Velvet Scoter. 

 CEdemia fusca. 



Plumage velvet-black, except a small white patch behind the 

 eye and a conspicuous white bar across the wing ; bill apricot- 

 yeUow, with a black tubercle at the base ; irides white ; legs and 

 toes orange-red ; webs black. Length, twenty-two inches. Female : 

 sooty brown ; a large dull white patch before, and a smaller one 

 behind, the eye ; speculum less defined than in the male. 



Mr. Abel Chapman, comparing this species with the last de- 

 scribed, has given the best picture of it. He says : * The velvet 

 scoter is a larger and handsomer species, the jet-black plumage of 

 the old drakes being peculiarly rich and glossy, and is easily distin- 

 guished at any distance by the broad white speculum on the wings, 

 closely resembling an old black cock, if one could imagine such a 

 bird far out at sea.' It is not known whether the velvet scoter 

 breeds in Scotland or not. In summer it is found on inland lakes 

 in Scandinavia and Northern Russia, and it visits our coasts in 

 winter, but not in such large numbers as the common scoter. It is 

 not so exclusively marine in its habits as that species. 



