BIRDS OF THE CAMBRIDGE REGION. 123 



36. Oidemia americana Swains. 

 American Scoter. Butter-bill Coot. Butter-bill. 



Transient visitor in autumn, of infrequent and apparently rare occurrence. 



Mr. W. A. Jeffries tells me that the American Scoter occasionally alights 

 in the Back Bay Basin in autumn and it has been taken at that season in Spy 

 Pond and in the Mystic Ponds, according to Mr. John H. Hardy, Jr. Among 

 our older local gunners of thirty years or more ago there existed, as I well 

 remember, a tradition to the effect that in still earlier times large flocks of 

 ' Coots ' had been occasionally seen in Fresh Pond, usually during heavy north- 

 easterly storms, and it was said that on one memorable occasion upwards of 

 fifty Butter-bills had been slain there in a single day. There can be little ques- 

 tion that these stories, although probably somewhat e.xaggerated, were based on 

 fact. I can give but one definite instance, however, of the occurrence of the 

 American Scoter at Fresh Pond, — that of a fine old male which I saw and vainly 

 attempted to shoot on October 3, 1868. It was killed by another sportsman on 

 the following morning, but the specimen, unfortunately, was not preserved. 



37. Oidemia deglandi Bonap. 

 White-winged Scoter. White-winged Coot. 



Transient visitor in autumn, formerly not uncommon. 



seasonal occurrence. 



October i, 1868, three seen, one taken, Fresh Pond, W. Brewster. 

 November 26, 1900, six seen. Fresh Pond, W. Brewster. 



I can remember a time (1867 to 1872) when White-winged Scoters used to 

 alight in Fresh Pond nearly every autumn — usually during October, quite as 

 often in clear as in stormy weather, and almost invariably at daybreak. As a 

 rule they appeared singly or two or three together, sometimes in company with 

 Ruddy Ducks. Nearly all were young birds and so tame that they fell easy 



