COMMON SCOTER. lis 
was captured by a dog at Newball, near Saighton, on the 
Eaton Estate. It was kept alive for two or three days, 
but refused food, and was subsequently presented to 
the Grosvenor Museum, Chester. 
COMMON SCOTER. 
CEDEMIA NIGRA (Linnzeus). 
During the winter months the Common Scoter 
occurs in considerable numbers in the Dee and 
Mersey Estuaries. Byerley says it is ‘very abundant 
about the sandbanks,! and Brockholes describes it 
as ‘an abundant Duck at sea off the north of Wirral,’ 
adding that ‘it occasionally comes to the Leasowe 
shore, and is sometimes storm-driven to land.’2 Mr. 
R. Newstead has seen this species off Stanlow Point, 
but says it is not very common in the Mersey Estuary.* 
The shallow waters near Hilbre Island are favourite 
feeding-grounds, and birds are often obtained by 
sportsmen in that locality. Mr. L. Jones has one which 
was captured alive at Hilbre during the severe frost in 
February 1894. 
We have seen specimens of the Velvet Scoter, 
Edemia fusca (Linneus), which had been shot at 
Formby; and Mr. H. Saunders says that a pair or two 
of this species are found in company with nearly 
every flock of Common Scoters near Southport‘ It 
is almost certain that this is also the case on the 
Cheshire coast, where a little vigilance on the part 
of local ornithologists would probably result in the 
addition of the Velvet Scoter to the county avifauna. 
1 Byerley, op. cit. p. 21. 
2 Brockholes, op. cit. p. 15. 3 Dobie, op. cit. p. 326. 
4 Handbook of British Birds, 2nd edit. p. 467. 
