220 BIRDS OF TUNISIA 



Descriptidii. — Adult male, winter, from Italy. 



Entire plumage above rich glossy black, the head and neck with purple 

 reflections ; uiiderparts duller and browner. 



Iris brown ; bill, which has a conspicuous protuberance or knob at its 

 base, black, except for a line down the middle of the knob and the ridge of 

 the upper mandible which are orange-yellow ; feet jjlackish. 



Total length 20 inches, wing 9, culmen 2, tarsus 1-80. 



Adult female, dull blackish-brown ; chin and upper throat white ; middle 

 of abdomen whitish ; bill blackish, and with the basal knob only slightly 

 developed. 



The Coininon Scoter is to be met with occasionally in Tunisia in 

 winter, but accoiding to Blanc, is rare, and, like the preceding species, 

 is probably merely an irregular visitor to the Kegency. Lochc, how- 

 ever, states that the species is common on the Algerian coast in 

 winter, and, according to Favier, "it is found in abundance near 

 Tangier, arriving sometimes as early as August, retiring northwards 

 in April." Favier's statement is confirmed by Mr. Meade-Waldo, who 

 found the Common Scoter in large flocks in Mazagan Bay at the 

 beginning of August (Ibis, 1903, p. 214). Colonel Irby also states that 

 he had " found this Duck in some seasons very common about the 

 Straits, especially after rough weather in Gibraltar l^ay, but they do 

 not appear except in small lots. The earhest noticed was on November 

 Tith, the latest on March 12th, 1872." 



Further east in the Mediterranean the Conunon Scoter appears 

 to be far less abundant, and in Italy it is by no means common, and 

 more or less irregular in its appearance. In winter this species is 

 chiefly to be found on the sea-coast, and seldom on inland waters ; 

 it is gregarious, and to be met with either in large flocks or small 

 parties. It flics, swims, and dives well and feeds chiefly on small 

 shell-fish and marine plants. 



ERISMATURA LEUCOCEPHALA (Scopoli). 

 WniTE-HEADED DUCK. 



Anas leucocephalus, Scoj). Ann. i, Hist. Nat. p. 65 (17G9); Malherhc, 



Faune Orn. ile I'Alg. p. 37 (1855). 

 Erismatura leucocephala, Bonap. Hcujij. Distr. Met. Aijtj. c Corr. p. 



143 (1832) ; Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mas. xxvii, p. 442 ; Loche, 



Expl. act. Alg. Ois. ii, p. 398 (1867); Koenij, J. /. 0. 1888, p. 285; id. 



J.f. 0. 1893, p. 95. 



