COMMON SCOTER. 197 



were met with. Two recorded by the Bev. Julian Tuck 

 (" Zoologist," 1884, p. 488) were shot at Hunstanton as 

 early as October 16th ; early in the month of November, 

 1887, several were killed, and others at intervals during 

 the winter on inland waters, and at different localities 

 on the coast. 



The very large majority of those met with are imma- 

 ture birds; adults of either sex, especially males, very 

 rarely occur.* 



(EDEMIA NIGKA. 



COMMON SCOTER. 



The following is verbatim from Mr. Stevenson's note 

 book : " Although specimens of this duck have been 

 killed at times in this county in almost every month of 

 the year, it is strictly speaking a winter resident only, 

 appearing in very large numbers on the coast during 

 very sharp weather. However intense the frost they 

 rarely quit the sea for inland waters, but I know no 

 species that exhibits a more weather-beaten appearance 

 in really hard winters than the black scoter. 



" Mr. Yarrell, speaking of the appearance of this bird 

 off the Isle of Wight and in Christ church Bay, in June 

 and July, says, ' it is not improbable that these were 

 birds only twelve or fourteen months old, that would 

 remain unable to breed till the following summer.' I 

 am inclined to believe that the small flocks I have seen 

 occasionally at Cromer, as late as the 5th July, may be 



* Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., has favoured me with the following 

 note : " Captain J. A. Yipan, of Stibbington Hall, Wansford, 

 thinks he saw a surf scoter (GEdemia perspicillata), in Lynn Deeps, 

 on December llth, 1886, and it really seems likely that he was 

 right. It was with a dozen velvet scoters, and had a white patch 

 on its head ; in size it seemed to be half-way between the velvet 

 and common scoters. The surf scoter is not the rarity it was 

 once supposed to be : in the Orkneys Saunders says it is of 

 frequent, almost annual, occurrence (" Brit. Birds," iv., p. 482). 

 Capt. Vipan, who, I believe, is well up in ducks, at once informed 

 Lord Lilford of it," 



