944 SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. — LAMELLIROSTRES — ANSERES. 



above, pale grayish below, but retaining the white speculum; some whitish on head, tending 

 to form loral and auricular spots, as in the Surf Scoter, but variable and unreliable ; disregard 

 this, and look to the white wing-mark, which always shows in this species, never in either of 

 the other American Scoters. Largest: Length 19.50-22.50 ; extent about 36.00 (33.50-40.00) ; 

 wing 11.00-12.00; bill along gape 2.50 or more; tarsus about 2.00; middle toe and claw 

 3.50. 9<$- North America at large, chiefly coastwise, but also on large inland waters ; 

 abundant. Winters in the U. S. as far south as Virginia, Illinois, Colorado, and S. California, 

 iu some cases farther; breeds from Labrador, N. Dakota, and British Columbia to Alaska. 

 Nest on the ground, generally hidden under bushes or otiier low growth, lined with grayish- 

 brown down having indistinctly paler centres; eggs about 8 or 9 to 11 or more, 2.70-2.90 X 

 1.85-1.95, pale buff or flesh color, laid late in June and in July. This is the Anas, Fuligula, 

 or Oidemia fusca of early American authors who did not separate it from the European spe- 

 cies; the double macreuse d'Ame'rique of Degland, Orn. Eur. ii, 1849, p. 474, whence Oidemia 

 deglandi of Bonaparte, Rev. Crit. 1850, p. 108, actually antedating 0. relvetina of Cassin, Proc. 

 Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. for Oct. 1850, p. 126; (E. fusca relretina of tlie Key, 3d and 4th eds. 

 1887 and 1890, p. 890. 



Note. — It is possible that a third species of Velvet or White-winged Scoter occurs in Alaska. This is the form of 

 N. E. Asia. {Anas carbo Pall. Oidemia stejnegeri Ridgw. CEdemia carbo Salvad. Brit. Mus. Cat. xxvii, 1895, p. 411, 

 which see.) 



{Subgenus Pelionetta.) 



CE. perspicilla'ta. (hat. perspicillata, conspicuous, spectacular. Figs. 661, 663, 664.) Surf 

 Scoter. Surf Duck. Surfer. Sea Coot. Brown Coot 9 . Gray Coot 9 . Bay 

 Coot. Box Coot. Spectacle Coot. Butterboat-billed Coot. Hollow-billei> 

 Coot. Speckle-billed Coot. Blossom-billed Coot. Patch-polled Coot. Horse- 

 head Coot. Patch-head. White-head. White-scop. Bald-pate. Skunk-head. 

 Skunk-top. Plaster-bill. Morocco-jav\^. Goggle-nose. Snuff-taker. Adult 

 ^•. Bill shaped as above said, and singularly variegated in color; mostly white or pinkish, 



and orange, with a 

 great round or squar- 

 ish black spot on side 

 of upper mandible 

 near its base, like a 

 piece of court- plaster, 

 bounded behind by a 

 line of carmine-red ; 

 culmen to nostrils deep 

 red ; lower mandible 

 white and orange ; 

 both nails yellow ; iris 

 pearly white ; feet or- 

 ange-red, with dusky 

 webs and joints, and 

 the difl'erences in tints 

 noted for the Velvet 



Scoter. Plumage glossy black, duller below ; no white on wings, but a triangular white patch 

 on forehead, pointing forward, reaching to or beyond opposite eye, and another on nape, point- 

 ing downward. Young $ resembles the 9 , before the bill acquires distinctive shape and 

 color. Adult 9: Bill blackish, not particularly tumid; feathers of culmen restricted, not 

 reaching opposite nostrils ; feet dark, tinged with reddish or yellowish ; webs blackish. 

 Plumage sooty-brown, below silvery-gray ; side of head with much whitish, chiefly in two 



Fig. CC3. — Bill of young cf Surf Duck, nat. size. (Ad. nat. del. E. C.) 



