SCOTER. NATATORES. OIDEM1A. 329 



ing, for which their formation is well adapted ; and they are 

 able to remain for a long time submerged. They rarely 

 quit the water, except for incubation ; and their flight, though 

 usually near the surface, is yet strong and rapid. Upon re- 

 viewing the species hitherto assigned to this genus, I am in- 

 clined to think that Oidemia nigra, Old. leucocephala, and 

 another (said to be new) from North America, will have to 

 be separated from Oid.fusca, Old. perspicillata, not only on 

 account of the difference of form shewn in the basal part of 

 the bill, but also from the relative proportions of the wings. 

 In Old. nigra, the first quill is shorter than the second, and 

 its anterior part very narrow in consequence of a deep notch 

 or emargination at about half its length. In Oid.Jusca and 

 perspicillata, on the contrary, the first quill is the longest, 

 and without any emargination whatever. The gradation 

 from the Velvet Scoter (Old. fusca), through Oid. perspi- 

 cillata, to the Eiders is gradual, and presents a beautiful in- 

 stance of the affinities that connect the various genera with 

 each other. 



BLACK SCOTER. 



OIDEMIA NIGRA, Flem. 

 PLATE LXVIII. 



Oidemia nigra, Flem. Br. Anim. 1. 119. sp. 174 Shaw's Zool. 12. 213. 



pi. 59. 

 Anas nigra, Linn. Syst. 1. 196. 7 Gmel Syst. 1. 508 Lath. Ind. Orn. 



2. 848. sp. 43 Briss. 6. 420. 28. t. 38. f. 2 Wils. Amer. Orn. 8. 135. 



pi. 92. 2. 



Anas nigra minor, Rail Syn. 141. A. 5 Will. 280. t. 94. 

 La Macreuse, Buff. Ois. 9. 234. t. 16 Id. PI. Enl. 978. 

 Canard Macreuse, Temm. Man. d'Orn. 2. 856. 

 Die Trauer Ente, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. 4. 963. 

 Scoter or Black Diver, Penn. Br. Zool. 2. 584. No. 273 Arct. Zool. 2. 



484 Lath. Syn. 6. 480 Lewin's Br. Birds, 7. pi. 249 Mont. Orn. 



Diet, and Sup Bewick's Br. Birds, 2. ed. 1826, p. t. 322 Wils. 



Amer. Orn. 8. 135. pi. 92. f. 2. 

 Black Scoter, Flem. Br. Anim. 1. 119. sp. 174 Shaw's Zool. 12. 213. pi. 



59. 



Anas cinerascens, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. 4. 1025. ) 



Canard Grisette, Temm. Man. (TOrnith. 1. ed. p. 555. ) 



