ANATIDJ1. 



performed near Bastia, the capital of Corsica ; but in this 

 locality the Scoter is always accompanied by numbers of 

 the Red-throated Diver, which appear to act the part of 

 sentinels outside the flocks of Ducks ; and so quick-sighted 

 are these sentinels, and so instantaneously do they dive, 

 and so rapidly do they swim under water, that hundreds 

 of Scoters are killed to one couple of Divers. M. Savi 

 includes the Scoter among the birds of Italy. M. Vieillot 

 says that the coast of Picardy is covered with them in 

 winter whenever the wind blows from the north or north- 

 west : and M. Temminck describes it as abundant on other 

 parts of the coast of France, and in Holland. I am not 

 aware that the Scoter has ever been found to breed in 

 this country. The nest is described as formed of grass and 

 other vegetable matter, mixed and lined with a quantity of 

 its own down ; the eggs about six in number. These, as 

 figured in the work of M. Thienemann, are of a pale buff 

 colour, tinged with green ; two inches six lines in length, 

 by one inch and nine lines in breadth. In reference to the 

 Scoter in Scandinavia, Richard Dann, Esq. sent me word 

 that this Duck frequents the same places, and is very 

 similar in its habits to the Velvet Duck, both being gene- 

 rally found in the same locality. After the female has 

 laid, the males associate in large flocks, and slowly draw 

 towards the coast, where they arrive in October. They 

 are never found on the coast during summer there. Mr. 

 Proctor found the Scoter breeding in Iceland, but it is 

 not common ; only two nests were obtained. In the adult 

 male the beak is black, except the central ridge of the 

 upper mandible, which is orange ; the irides brown ; all 

 the plumage deep black ; legs and toes dusky black, the 

 webs darker, or quite black. The whole length is nine- 

 teen inches. From the carpal joint to the end of the 

 longest quill-feather nine inches ; the second quill-feather 

 rather the longest in the wing. 



