OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 423 



Family ANATID^E. Genus (EDEMIA. 



Subfamily FULIGULIN&. 



VELVET SCOTER. 



(EDEMIA FUSCA. (Linnaus). 



Anas fusca, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 196 (1766). 



Oidemia fusca (Linn.), Macgill. Brit. B. v. p. 134 (1852). 



(Edemia fusca (Linn.), Dresser, B. Eur. vi. p. 657, pi. 448 (1877) ; Yarrell, Brit. B. 



ed. 4, iv. p. 476 (1885) ; Lilford, Col. Fig. Brit. B. pt. xxii. (1892) ; Salvadori, Cat. 



B. Brit. Mus. xxvii. p. 406 (1895) ; Sharpe, Handb. B. Gt. Brit. iii. p. 46 (1896). 

 Fuligula fusca (Linn.), Seebohm, Hist. Brit. B. iii. p. 605 (1885); Dixon, Nests and 



Eggs Non-indig. Brit. B. p. 175 (1894) ; Seebohm, Col. Fig. Eggs Brit. B. p. 52, 



pi. 15 (1896). 



Geographical distribution. British : The Velvet Scoter is a regular 

 winter visitor to our islands, but much less common than the preceding species. 

 It occurs sparingly on the south and east coasts of England, chiefly in those 

 localities frequented by the Common Scoter, becomes more frequent on the east 

 coast of Scotland, but is decidedly rare in the Shetlands. It is much less 

 common round the western coasts of Scotland, and is said to be rare in the 

 Outer Hebrides. It is rare and local in the west of England and chiefly mixed 

 with the common species. It is also rare in Ireland, chiefly met with at sea 

 off the east and south coasts. According to Booth a few pairs may possibly breed 

 in the north of Scotland, but no direct evidence is yet forthcoming. Foreign : 

 Northern Palaearctic region, more southerly in winter. This Scoter breeds in 

 the Arctic and Subarctic regions of Europe and Asia from the Atlantic eastwards 

 at least to the Yenisei, as far north as lat. 72, and as far south as the Baltic 

 Provinces in the west and lat. 55 in the east. It winters in the basin of the North 

 Sea, occasionally wandering as far south as Spain and the Mediterranean and 

 Black Seas. To Turkestan it is a visitor on passage, and in winter it is found 

 in the basin of the Caspian. It has once been obtained in Alaska, once in Green- 

 land, and is an abnormal migrant to the Faroes. 



