VELVET SCOTER. 195 



gunner living at Blakeney, shot there four " very gay " 

 ducks, which were taken to Mr. Charles Sparham, of 

 that place, and left, it was supposed, to be jDreserved for 

 his collection ; but, he being from home, on their arrival 

 the cook dressed them for dinner the same day. Overton 

 afterwards, on looking over Gould's " Birds," at Holk- 

 ham Hall, immediately recognised in the figure of Stel- 

 ler's duck the birds he had killed. Mr. Do well, in a 

 recent letter, thus speaks of Harry Overton : " He was 

 about the best field naturalist I ever knew ; he was 

 noted for his very keen eyesight and accurate observa- 

 tion, among many instances of which I may mention 

 that he ascertained for himself the difference between 

 the Sclavonian and eared grebes in winter plumage (both 

 rare birds on the Blakeney coast), and also that the 

 kittiwake gull had but three toes, although he seldom 

 saw them except on the oyster grounds. When I took 

 him to Holkham and showed him Gould's birds, I did so 

 on purpose to ascertain, if possible, what the ^ gay ' 

 ducks were, but I gave him no lead whatever ; I showed 

 him the drawings of the shore birds as they came, and 

 listened to his more or less interesting observations on 

 on each. Directly he saw the western duck, he said, 

 ' them's the gay ducks I have often told you about,' 

 &c., and I, for one, have not the slightest doubt that 

 ' them's them.' " What value is to be attached to this 

 statement I must leave for others to decide, but I may 

 remark that these men, who pass their whole life on the 

 shore, are very observant, and quick to detect an unac- 

 customed bird which is likely to fetch a good price ; 

 and of both the intelligence and honesty of Overton Mr. 

 Dowell has often spoken to me in the highest terms. 



(EDEMIA FUSCA (Linn^us). 



VELVET SCOTEE. 



Scarcely a winter passes without the occurrence of a 



few of these birds on the coast, and they are met with 



not unfrequently in considerable numbers. There may 



be many of this and the next species out at sea, but it is 



2b2 



