LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN WILD FOWL 125 



they will frequently dive to the bottom (always using their wings as well as 

 feet at such times in swimming under water) and retain hold of the rock- 

 weed with the bill until drowned, prefering thus to die than to come to the 

 surface to be captured. As an instance of this, I may mention that on one 

 occasion I shot a scoter when the water was so still that there was not even 

 u ripple on its surface; after pursuing the bird for some time I drove it 

 near the shore, when it dove and did not reappear. I knew it must have 

 gone to the bottom, as I had seen the same thing repeatedly before. As the 

 occasion was a favorable one for investigation, the water being clear and not 

 more than 12 or 15 feet in depth, I rowed along carefully, looking continu- 

 ally into the water near the spot where the bird was last seen. My search 

 was at last successful, for ou getting directly over where the bird was I 

 could look down and distinctly see it holding on to the rockweed at the bot- 

 tom with its bill. After observing it for a time I took one of my oars, and 

 aiming it at the bird sent it down. I soon dislodged it, still alive, and cap- 

 tured it. I have often seen these birds, when wounded and hard pressed, 

 dive where the water was 40 to 50 feet deep, and not come to the surface again. 

 I therefore feel much confidence in stating that it is no uncommon occun-euce 

 for them under such circumstances to prefer death by drowning to capture. 

 This they accomplish by seizing hold of the rockweed at the bottom, holding 

 on even after life has become extinct. I have also seen all three species 

 when wounded dive from the air, entering the water without any splash. 

 All are expert divers, it requiring considerable experience to retrieve them 

 when wounded. 



Scoters are usually silent birds; I can not remember having 

 heard any notes from any of them, but Mr. Mackay (1891) says: 

 " The American scoter makes a musical whistle of one prolonged 

 note, and it can frequently be called to the decoys by imitating the 

 note." Kev. J. H. Langille (1884) says: "The note of the scoter 

 in spring is like whe-oo-hoo^ long drawn out." 



Maj. Allan Brooks (1920) writes: 



In British Columbia this scoter is an exclusively maritime duck ; at least 

 I have not come across a single reliable inland record. Not only is it a 

 maritime bird, but it is seldom found in the small bays and inlets where 

 the other species swarm, but frequents the exposed shores and outer reefs 

 together with the harlequin. It lias many points in common with that duck, 

 rising easily from the water and doing much flying about in small lots of four 

 or five — mostly males — seemingly for the pleasure of flying, usually returning to 

 the point they started from. In flight the silvery undersurface of the primaries, 

 in both sexes, is very conspicuous. In fine, calm weather they call a great 

 deal and their plaintive cour-loo is the most musical of duck cries, very dif- 

 ferent from the croaking notes of most diving ducks. 



Fall. — The fall migration of the American scoter is somewhat 

 earlier than that of the other two species. On the Massachusetts 

 coast the flight begins in September, and during the latter half of 

 that month there is often quite a heavy flight which consists almost 

 entirely of adult birds. The young birds, which arc known as 

 " gray coots," come along with the other scoters in October. Each 

 species usually flocks by itself, and flocks of adults are often sepa- 

 rated from flocks of young birds; but mixed flocks are often seen, 



