46 THE CHICAGO ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



Genus OIDEMIA Fleming, 1822. 



Oidemia americana (Swains). American Scoter. 



Anas nigra WILSON, Amer. Orn., VIII, 1814, 135, pi. 72 (not of 



Linnaeus). 



Oidemia americana Sw. & RICH., Fauna Bor. Amer., II, 1831, 450. 

 (Edemia americana COUES, Key, 1872, 293. 

 CEdemia nigra var. americana RIDGWAY, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., 



Vol. X, 1874, 390. 

 Popular synonyms: AMERICAN BLACK SCOTEB. BUTTEB-BILL. BUT- 



TEB-BILLED COOT. HOLLOW-BILLED COOT. SCOTEB DUCK. YELLOW- 

 BILL. SMUTTY, etc. 



I have no records of the occurence of this species within our 

 limits except the following two: Mr. E. W. Nelson says: 

 "Rather common upon the Lake. Winter resident. Arrives the 

 first of November and departs by the first of April." Mr. Robert 

 Ridgway gives the following record :* "Winter visitant to Lake 

 Michigan, Dr. J. W. Velie." 



While the American Scoter breeds in Labrador and the north- 

 ern interior and is a sea bird, its occurrence within our limits 

 is not strange, for it winters on the Great Lakes to some extent 

 and has been noted as far south as the Ohio River. 



Oidemia deglandi (Bonaparte). White-winged Scoter. 



Anas fusca WILSON, Amer. Orn., VIII, 1814, 137, pi. 72 (not of 



Linnaeus). 

 Melanetta velvetina RIDGWAY, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., Vol. X, 



1874, 390. 

 (Edemia fusca NELSON, Bull, of the Essex Institute, Vol. VIII, 1876, 



143. 



CEdemia fusca CQUES, Check List, 2d ed., 1882, No. 738. 

 Oidemia deglandi BONAPARTE, Rev. Grit, de TOrn. Europe de Dr. 



Degl., 1850, 108. 

 Popular synonyms: AMERICAN VELVET SCOTEB. VELVET DUCK. 



WHITE-WINGED COOT. BULL COOT. 



A not uncommon winter resident, though I have the record 

 of only one in the adult plumage that has been taken within 

 our limits. This specimen, a very fine male bird, is in my 

 collection. I have observed quite a number of this species which 

 have been found dead on the shore of Lake Michigan. They 

 were in immature plumage, and their death was probably caused 

 by the birds failing to obtain their accustomed food, or by the 

 elements. Mr. E. W. Nelson in 1876 made the following state- 

 ment regarding this species: "Like the preceding (Oidemia 



*Cat. of the Birds Ascertained to Occur in 111. Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., VoL 

 X, 1874, 390. 



