VELVET SCOTER. 381 



THE VELVET SCOTEK. 



IDE MI A FUSC A. 



I AM more familiar with this conspicuous bird as an east coast 

 species than as a visitor to the west. "Black ducks," which are 

 so very abundant in the Firth of Forth, are almost never seen on 

 the Firth of Clyde ; and although the Velvet Scoter is said to breed 

 on the Faroes and Iceland, the flocks reaching our western shores 

 are very much smaller than those visiting the estuaries of Aber- 

 deenshire, Fifeshire, and East Lothian. Several small flocks 

 were seen by Mr Elwes on Loch Indaal, in Islay, in November, 

 1867, and Mr Graham has sent me word that he has seen 

 the species at Ardrishaig. A very fine male, which I had an 

 opportunity of seeing, was also shot on Gareloch 'in the first week 

 of January, 1869. 



I have never been at a loss to identify this from the next species, 

 even when assembled together, the white patch on the wings being 

 sufficient to distinguish the birds at a little distance. Off Dunbar, 

 where they appear from the end of August till the middle of April, 

 I have seen hundreds of both sitting on the water within one 

 hundred and fifty or two hundred yards of the shore, and remaining 

 there nearly a whole day. Occasionally they approach the rocks 

 within shooting range in their eager search for sandy spots where 

 they may find their favourite shell-fish, which I have invariably 

 found to be bivalves ; and I have a beautiful male bird now before 

 me which was procured in this way. From this specimen, and 

 others which I have dissected, I have taken quantities of a species 

 of Donax, with a very strong shell, which had been broken into 

 fragments. The food of this species consists solely of shell-fish, 

 and, generally speaking, the contents of its gizzard are much 

 bruised, so that it is not easy to make out the species which it 

 prefers. Only the thicker-shelled molluscs are distinguishable, 

 and even these are smashed into small pieces. Living on such 

 diet, it is not to be expected that the flesh of this bird can be 

 much esteemed. Some persons seem to think that fresh earth 

 will effectually remove the strongest flavour natural to a fish- 

 eating bird. I would therefore recommend any one desirous of 

 trying the edible qualities of a Velvet Scoter to bury it in a 

 convenient place, and leave it there. 



