PRELIMINARY CLASSIFIED NOTES 263 



Europe in much smaller numbers than the common-scoter : unlike the latter, it is 

 not known to breed in our area, but immature birds are found in summer off the 

 east coast of Great Britain. As a winter visitor it arrives between 16th September 

 and 18th October, while the seasons of passage are from 17th September to 20th 

 October, and from the end of April through May (cf. Clarke, Studies in Bird 

 Migration, 1912, vol. i. pp. 136, 160). The velvet-scoter is less common on the 

 west of Scotland than on the east, and it is uncommon on the Welsh and west 

 English coasts (cf. Saunders, III. Man. B. B., 2nd ed., 1899, p. 467). It is rare in 

 Ireland even on the east, and almost unknown on the west : January is the chief 

 month (cf . Ussher and Warren, B. of Ireland, 1900, p. 214). In Yorkshire it is noted 

 that adult drakes are very rare (cf. Nelson, B. of Yorks., 1907, p. 480). Gregarious ; 

 but it is more usual to find a small percentage of velvet-scoters in the huge flocks 

 of the common species than to find separate flocks of any size. [A. L. T.] 



4. Nest and Eggs. Does not breed in the British Isles, though it is said, 

 on unsatisfactory evidence, to have nested in the Highlands of Scotland (cf. E. 

 T. Booth, Rough Notes). [F. c. E. J.] 



5. Food. This species is perhaps almost more of a sea-duck than even the 

 common-scoter during the winter months, and lives almost exclusively on marine 

 Mollusca obtained by diving, chiefly the common mussel, Mytilus edulis, and the 

 cockle, Cardium edule, the former of which is, according to Naumann, swallowed up 

 to 1*38 in. in length. Macgillivray states that he has also obtained from the 

 stomachs of birds examined, shells of the genera Mactra, Tellina, and Solen, as well 

 as Donax trunculus in addition to the usual cockles and mussels. T. E. Gunn found 

 remains of vegetable fibre as well as fragments of shells, pebbles, bits of flint and 

 silt. Naumann also states that on rare occasions small Crustacea, insects, worms, 

 and small fish are eaten, and that on fresh-water lakes they will eat the roots, 

 seeds, and buds of surface-growing water-weeds. The young are tended entirely 

 by the female, and probably feed on small fresh-water Mollusca and possibly some 

 vegetable food. [F. c. E. J.] 



