294 DwiGHT, Plumages of the Scoters. [july 



most conspicuous. In 1650-1653, Jonston (Nat. Hist. Avium, 

 p. 98) mentions this bird which he figures on plate 49 with a white 

 wing band, calling it " Anas fusca f era," but the first author recog- 

 nizing two species seems to have been Willughby (Ornithol. 1676). 

 At p. 363 he proposes the name "Velvet-Duck" for " Aldrovandus 

 his black Duck," reproducing the latter's wood-cut on plate LXX, 

 and calling the bird "Anas niger major." He describes a second 

 species at p. 280 which he calls " Anas niger minor," figuring it on 

 plate LXXIV, and this is evidently what is known as 7iigra today. 

 In 1713, Ray (Synop. Avium, p. 141) describes "Anas niger" ( = 

 fusca) and "Anas niger minor" (= nigra) and in 1746 Linnaeus 

 (Fauna Suecica, p. 38, Nos. 106, 107) describes " Anas fusca" and 

 what seems to be an immature nigra, but like most of the old writers 

 much is made of the unimportant characters which are shared by 

 many birds, and the real differences are completely missed. This 

 failing, however, I am sorry to say is not confined entirely to the 

 pioneers in ornithology. 



In 1750, Edwards (Nat. Hist. Birds, iii, p. 155) describes the 

 " Great Black Duck from Hudson's Bay" which his colored plate — 

 the first of any Scoter — shows is loerspiciUata, and in 1758 Linnfeus 

 (Syst. Nat. i, pp. 123 and 125) gives the names "Anas fusca," 

 "Anas nigra" and "Anas perspicillata" to the three species that 

 retain his specific names to this day. In 1760, Brisson (Ornithol- 

 ogie, vi, pp. 420-427) describes at considerable length the three 

 species as "Anas nigra" (= nigra), "Anas nigra major" (= fusca) 

 and "Anas nigra major Freti Hudsonis" (= perspicillata) and many 

 later writers might be cited. It would be out of place to review 

 their statements in this brief sketch for a volume could be filled 

 correcting and explaining the many blunders that have been made. 

 My chief object is rather to clear up such obscurity as still remains. 

 It may be of interest, however, to call attention to the fact that the 

 two American species of Scoters were long confused, americana with 

 the European nigra and deglandi with fusca, and not until 1831 did 

 Swainson and Richardson (Faun. Bor. Amer., ii, p. 450) recognize 

 americana as distinct, while it was 1850 when Bonaparte (Rev. 

 Crit. Orn. Europe, p. 108) separated deglandi. Finally, carho was 

 recognized as a full species in 1887 by Ridgway (Man. N. Am. 

 Birds, p. 112) under the name stejnegeri. There are therefore in all 



