610 BRITISH BIRDS. 



the sportsman, for its flesli is said to be very rank, dark, and unpalatable. 

 To the hunters on Long Island it is known as the ^' Spectacled Coot " 

 and " Surf-Coot." It is not only very gregarious, but sociable, and joins 

 other flocks of wildfowl, especially those of Long-tailed Ducks and other 

 Scoters. They delight in the open sea, riding on the roughest waves, light 

 and buoyant as corks, ever and anon diving to obtain their food amongst 

 the rocks far below the surface, or chase the tiny fish swimming in mid-water 

 below them. 



The Surf-Scoter is about the same size as the Common Scoter. The 

 adult male in full nuptial dress has the entire plumage glossy black, with 

 the exception of a large white patch on the crown, and a still larger one 

 on the hind neck. Bill with the upper mandible orange-red, yellowish 

 grey on the nail, protuberance on each side at the base black, with a 

 bluish-white patch in front extending to the nostiils ; lower mandible flesh- 

 colour, darker on the nail ; legs and feet orange-red, webs dusky ; irides 

 yellowish white. The adult female and young in first plumage are inter- 

 mediate between those of the Velvet Scoter and those of the Common 

 Scoter, the wing being without an alar speculum as in the latter, but the 

 sides of the head having the obscure white patches as in the former. The 

 changes of plumage w^iich the adult male undergoes are doubtless the 

 same as those of the allied species, but satisfactory evidence of this is 

 much to be desired. Males of the year have the white on the crown, but 

 the white on the nape is much less developed than in adult birds, and 

 have the breast and belly much more mottled with brown. Young in 

 first plumage closely resemble adult females, but have traces of white on 

 the nape. Young in down appear to be undescribed. 



Two other species belonging to this genus have been included in the 

 list of British birds. The Ring-necked Duck {FuUguIa coUaris) was 

 originally described by Donovan (Brit. Birds, vi. pi. cxlvii.) from an ex- 

 ample exposed for sale in Leadenhall Market in London, in January 1801. 

 Since that date it has been found to be an American bird, breeding in 

 Canada and the Northern States, and wintering in the Southern States, 

 Central America, and the West Indies. As no second example has occurred 

 in our islands, and as it has not been recorded from Heligoland, I have 

 not devoted an article to its history. 



The Lesser Scaup (F. affinis) has also found its way into the British list, 

 in consequence of a bird obtained in the London market and now in the 

 collection of Mr. F. Bond. This example is certainly not the Lesser 

 Scaup, but probably a hybrid between the Scaup and the Pochard. A 

 second alleged occurrence of this species (Roberts, ' Zoologist,-* 1855, 

 p. 4G31) proved on investigation to refer to a female Pochard. The Lesser 

 Scaup is an American bird, only diff'cring in being slightly smaller than 

 the Common Scaup, from which it is doubtfully distinct. 



