DUCK. 



shores of both continents, and found in the extreme 

 north during the summer months. Their flesh has a 

 rank and fishy taste, and is inferior to that of any 

 utiier ducks. In former times, when the use of flesh 



341 



Scoter. 



was prohibited with great strictness during lent, and 

 in many countries still, the ecclesiastical authorities 

 decided that scoters were a sort of fish, and so might 

 be eaten with impunity on the meagre days and 

 during lent. 



THE BLACK SCOTER (O. ?iigra). The plumage of 

 this species is entirely black, without any mark- 

 ing, or even any wing-spot. There is an indistinct 

 knob at the base of the upper mandible, which, 

 together with the streak down the middle of the 

 mandible, is of a reddisli yellow, but the rest of the 

 bill is black, without any appearance of a nail at the 

 tip. The orbits of the eyes are yellow, and the 

 irides brown ; the tarsi and toes of the feet are 

 dusky, and the webs black. The female is rather 

 less than the male, and the black has a rusty tinge. 

 They frequent the coasts of Britain in considerable 

 numbers during the winter season, and are understood 

 to feed almost exclusively on shelled mollusca, for 

 which they dive in water of considerable depth, so 

 that they are often caught in the nets of the fisher- 

 men. Scoters come with the flood tide, arid any one 

 who has attended to the economy of nature on the 

 shores will at once see the cause of this. When the 

 tide ebbs, the shelled mollusca shut themselves up, or, 

 where they have that habit, plunge down into the 

 sand or mud ; but when the tide returns, they come 

 up and open their shells, and thus they are readily 

 captured by the scoters, which are found numerous 

 and active in proportion as their peculiar food is 

 abundant. This species is found equally in all places 

 of the North Seas. 



THE VELVET SCOTER (0. fusca) is perhaps not 

 quite so abundant as the black scoter, and the one 



Velvet Scoter. 



has oii.ni been confounded with the other, as they are 

 about the same si/.e, and differ little in their habits. 

 They may, however, be distinguished from each other 



without any difficulty. The plumage of the male 

 is velvet black, without any gloss, and there is a 

 crescent-shaped spot of white under each eye, and 

 wing-spots of the same colour. The irides, the tarsi, 

 and the toes, are also reddish ; the bill dusky at the 

 base and the margins, but dull yellow in the greater 

 part. The black on the female is not so intense, and 

 the under part of that sex has a whitish tinge. They 

 are also a little larger in size than the black scoter, 

 Their flesh, like I hat of the former, is rather rank in 

 the flavour, but still it is readily eaten by those 

 northern people who depend chiefly upon the sea for 

 subsistence. 



THE SURF SCOTER (O. perspicilla). This species 

 is in a great measure confined to the American shores, 

 but is found equally on both sides of the continent, 

 and thus it. may be expected in the adjacent part of 

 the north-cast of Asia. It migrates with the seasons, 

 and does not a; pear to differ much in its habits from 

 the other two species, but it is readily distinguished 

 by its markings. Its general colour is black, and 

 there is no spot on the Ming, but the nape of the 

 neck, and a band across the eyes, are white ; the tarsi 

 and toes are blood-red, and the bill is yellowish-red, 

 with a grey tip, and darker margins, which are more 

 pectinated than in the other scoters. This species 

 may be said to be unknown on the more southerly 

 coasts of Britain, and it is very rare even on the most 

 northerly isles, being seldom seen as any other than 

 a mercty straggling specimen, in all probability helped 

 on its way by the north-west gales. It is necessary, 

 however, to speak with caution of what may or may 

 not be present on those rocky and formidable shores, 

 when the north sea is up, and lashing them with all 

 the violence of a wintry tempest, because these are 

 not times at which observations can be made, and 

 therefore there may be many birds which visit those 

 places quite unknown to naturalists. 



POCHARD (Fu/igula). The birds of this sub-genus 

 are much more interesting to those who are fond of 

 water-fowl than the scoters. They are short and 

 dumpy in their forms, but exceedingly well made 

 both for swimming and for diving. When they visit 

 Britain in the winter, they are much more inland or 

 fresh-water ducks than the scoters ; and therefore, 

 though their breeding places are not much known, 

 the probability is, that they are the fresh -water 

 marshes and lakes of the polar countries rather than 

 the shores of the sea. There are a good many 

 species that come regularly to the fresh waters of 

 Britain, and also to those places of the estuaries to 

 which we have so often referred as the chief haunts 

 of water-fowls. They are also pretty generally distri- 

 buted over both continents, though it has not been 

 ascertained that any of them pass the summer far to 

 the south in either continent. They are understood, 

 however, to be much more easily kept. in a state of 

 domestication than those diving ducks which are 

 more partial to the sea ; and as they are very hand- 

 some and lively upon the water, as well as very 

 excellent eating, they are worthy of more attention 

 than they have hitherto received. 



THE RED-HEADED POCHARD (F. ferine). This 



duck is common to the two continents ; and used in 

 England, where it comes in the winter, to be called 

 the red-headed wigeon. It is, also, from some of its 

 colours, called the " dun bird," by the fowlers and 

 dealers. The weight of this duck is about a pound 

 and three-quarters : its length nineteen inches, and 



