SUKF SCOTEK 149 



recorded in Britain in 1838, by Blyth. Subsequently it 

 has been obtained in Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, the Scilly 

 Islands, Lancashire and in Cumberland. 



In Scotland its occurrence has been repeatedly made 

 known in the Orkneys, where several specimens have been 

 obtained. In the Shetlands the bird has been identified, 

 though not procured. It appears to have been very seldom 

 met with in the Hebridean Islands, however, one was 

 taken near Stornaway, in the winter of 1865 (Gray, ' Birds 

 of the West of Scotland'). On the mainland a specimen 

 was obtained from the Firth of Forth in the spring of 

 1852, and another off the coast of Aberdeen in November, 

 1855 (Harting, ' Handbook of British Birds,' 1901, p. 463-4). 

 The Surf- Scoter is a very rare visitor to Ireland ; only six 

 specimens have been procured. The data are as follows : 

 One, an adult male, from Belfast Bay, co. Down, September 

 9th, 1846 (Thompson) : preserved in the Belfast Museum. 

 Another adult male from Clontarf, Dublin, October, 1880 

 (Payne-Gallwey, ' Fowler in Ireland/ p. 112). Another, an 

 immature bird (sex doubtful), from Crookhaven Harbour, 

 co. Cork, November 5th, 1888 (Barrington, ' Zoologist,' 1889, 

 p. 32). The fourth, an immature female, from Dugort, 

 Achill Island, co. Mayo, October 25th, 1890 (Ussher, ' Birds 

 of Ireland,' p. 216). The fifth, an adult female, and the 

 sixth, an adult male, were obtained in Killala Harbour, 

 co. Mayo, on December 19th, 1896 and January 18th, 

 1897, respectively. These specimens are preserved in the 

 National Museum, Dublin (B. Warren, 'Field,' May 1st, 

 1897, and ' Irish Naturalist,' 1897, p. 59). 



It will at once be seen that the Irish records, with the 

 exceptions of the first-mentioned, have taken place within 

 recent years, those from Mayo being about the latest occur- 

 rences known in the British Isles. This Duck can be dis- 

 tinguished from the two preceding Scoters by a white patch 

 on its forehead and another on the back of its neck. Its 

 habits are practically similar to those of its congeners, it 

 revels in the rough billows and surging foam, and may be 

 seen in most unsheltered parts of the sea, during a severe 

 hurricane. 



Food. The Surf-Scoter lives almost entirely on shell- 

 fish which are often procured at a considerable depth 

 beneath the surface of the water. 



Flight. The flight resembles that of the preceding 

 species. 



