VELVET SCOTER. 315 



acute. Legs far behind the centre of gravity ; tarsi short ; feet large, of 

 four toes, three in front, and one behind. Outer toe as long as the middle 

 one, and much longer than the tarsus; hind toe with a large lobated 

 membrane. * 



THE VELVET DUCK is only a winter visitor to the sea- 

 shore of the British Islands. It has been killed in the 

 vicinity of Dublin, in Cornwall, and in Devonshire. J. Gr. 

 Shorter, Esq., of Hastings, obtained specimens on that 

 part of the Sussex coast. Mr. Knox possesses a specimen 

 which was killed off Selsey Bill, and I have seen one that 

 was shot at Heron Court, near Christchurch, Hampshire. 

 It has been killed off Dover. Specimens were obtained 

 in the London market during the winters of 1832 and 

 1837; Mr. Hoy procured it in Suffolk, and it has also 

 been killed in Norfolk. It occurs in Holland and France, 

 and even as far south as Provence and Italy, being included 

 in the histories of the birds of those countries by Messrs. 

 Temminck, Vieillot, Roux, and Savi. From its habits of 

 diving rather than flying when approached, it is sometimes 

 caught in the nets of our sea fishermen, by becoming 

 entangled in the meshes ; and it is occasionally caught also 

 in the stake nets set for salmon, as noticed by Mr. Selby, 

 who mentions " that in those he had dissected, the gizzard, 

 which was large and strong, was filled with the remains of 

 mytilus, mactra, solen, and other shelly mollusca, inter- 

 mixed with the spawn of fish or crustaceous animals." 



Mr. Robert Dunn says this species is rare in Shetland, 

 but is very common in Orkney, where it arrives in the 

 beginning of winter, and retires again very early in the 

 spring. It frequents the sounds in flocks of ten or twelve, 

 generally feeding in the middle or deep water, and in the 

 stream of the tide. It is remarkably shy, and great 

 caution is required in approaching it. The flesh of this 

 Duck is in no estimation. 



