50 



Allen's naturallst's library. 



Range in Great Britain.— The present species is an inhabitant 

 of North America, but has occurred many times in our seas, 

 principally on the western coasts in winter, the most frequent 

 locality for the species being the Orkney Islands. 



Kange outside the British Islands. — The Surf Scoter is an oc- 

 casional visitor to the shores of Western Europe, besides the 

 British Islands, having been obtained off Northern France, as 

 well as the coast of Swedish Lapland, and near Oland in the 

 Baltic, as well as in Heligoland waters. In North America it 

 breeds throughout the high north, from 70° down to about 

 50° N. lat., visiting the Great Lakes in winter, and extends to 

 Lower California in the west, and to the Bermudas and to 

 Jamaica in its eastern winter range. It is recorded only as a 

 straggler in Greenland. 



Habits. — Like the Velvet Scoter, the present species follows 

 many land routes in arriving at its winter quarters, but it also 

 frequents the sea-coasts, where it associates with other kinds of 

 Ducks, such as Long-tailed Ducks, and the other species of 

 Scoter. During the breeding-season the males assemble in 

 flocks, and separate from the females, and leave to the latter 

 the task of rearing the young. Mr. E. W. Nelson says that in 

 Alaska, " during the mating-season, they have a low clear whistle 

 for a call-note, and may readily be decoyed within gun-shot 

 by imitating it from a ' blind.' They are very curious also at 

 this time, and I have seen a flock rise and come up within a 

 few yards of me as I was trying to creep up within gun-shot of 

 them." He also gives the following interesting note • — " On the 

 23rd of August, 1878, I visited Stewart Island, about ten miles 

 to the seaward of St. Michael's. As I neared this island in my 

 kyak, I found the water literally black with the males of this 

 species, which were united in an enormous flock, forming a 

 continuous band around the outer end of the island for a dis- 

 tance of about ten miles in length, and from one half to three- 

 fourths of a mile in width. As the boat approached them, 

 those nearest began to rise heavily by aid of wings and feet 

 from the glassy surface of the gently undulating but calm 

 water. The first to rise communicated the alarm to those 

 beyond, until, as far as could be seen, the water was covered 



