COMMON SCOTER 143 
DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 
Adult male nuptial.—Head and upper neck, glossy-white, 
with two green patches, one on the back of the head, 
another, smaller, in front of the eye ; chin, black ; a purplish- 
black neck-collar is continuous with a band of the same 
colour, which extends along the middle of the back; wing- 
coverts, chiefly white; speculum, dark glossy-blue margined 
below with white, inner secondaries and scapulars, long, 
pointed, and decurved, edged white and blue; primaries, 
brown; tail, brown; breast and abdomen, rich reddish- 
brown; under tail-coverts, dark brown. 
Adult male, post-nuptial or eclipse.—An eclipse plumage, 
having a resemblance to that of the female, or of the minia- 
ture male, is probably assumed in early autumn. 
Adult female nuptial.— Dark brown, mottled with 
reddish-buff about the neck and breast ; speculum, bluish- 
black, bordered above and below with narrow white bands. 
Adult winter, male and female.—Similar to the respec- 
tive nuptial plumages. 
Immature, male and female.—Resembles the female in 
plumage. 
BEAK. Dark grey. 
FEET. Greyish-black. 
Indes. Pale brown ; lids surrounded by a black rim. 
Hees. Greenish-grey: clutch, seven to nine. 
AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 
TOTAL LENGTH ... ae Nob te? in. 
WING a i Za VS Dee 
BEAK ses ae ae ee ON par 
'TARSO-METATARSUS irae 
exes DO = onl Guin: 
COMMON SCOTER. (Cidemia nigra (Linneus). 
Coloured Figures.—Gould, ‘ Birds of Great Britain,’ vol. v, pl. 
28; Dresser, ‘ Birds of Europe,’ vol. vi, pl. 449; Lilford, 
‘Coloured Figures,’ vol. vii, pl. 55; Booth, ‘Rough Notes,’ 
vol. iii, pl. 11. 
Thousands of Scoters journey southward from their 
breeding-haunts in autumn and early winter, and, collecting 
