AMERICAN SCOTER. 



npHIS Duck has a wide dispersion in North America, 

 and is found from the Arctic Sea to Southern Cah- 

 fornia on the Pacific, to the Great Lakes in the interior 

 of the continent, and to New Jersey and possibly much 

 farther south on the Atlantic coast. It has been pro- 

 cured at St. Louis in Missouri, and is a rare visitor to Illi- 

 nois and perhaps some of the adjacent States. It is 

 abundant at Hudson Bay, but is present in greater num- 

 bers, in the breeding season, on the Alaskan coasts than 

 in almost any other portion of the extreme north. It 

 abounds about Behring Sea and Kotzebue Sound, and 

 has been seen at St. Lawrence Island, breeds on the 

 Nearer Islands, occurs on the Commander Islands and 

 the Shumagin group, is a winter resident in the Aleutian 

 Islands, and, according to Swinhoe, has been taken in 

 China and Japan. 



The species comes to St. Michael's, Nelson says, when 

 the ice begins to break up on the sea, and the ponds in 

 the marshes are open. Toward the end of May the 

 birds frequent these last, and mating having been accom- 

 plished a site for the nest is chosen. This is generally in 

 the grass near to water, and formed of grass, feathers, 

 leaves, and moss. If any low-branching tree or bush is 

 handy, the nest is often placed beneath it. As a rule it 

 is carefully hidden, and the eggs are covered by the 

 female whenever she goes away. When incubation com- 

 mences the males leave the females and gather, as is the 

 custom of the Eiders, in great flocks along the sea-shore 



