DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS. 203 



numbers. To see such a mighty host of birds rise 

 en masse from the water is a most imposing, nay, 

 even a thrilling sight. The Common Scoter begins 

 to arrive with us in September, and the migration 

 continues right through the following month. The 

 return passage begins in April and lasts into May. 

 All the birds, however, do not pass northwards, for 

 flocks of immature Scoters frequent British waters 

 through the summer, whilst a few pairs of adults 

 are even known to breed in the north of Scotland. 

 The Scoter is found most abundantly off our eastern 

 coasts, from the Orkneys to the Goodwins, and 

 thence, but in smaller numbers, along the English 

 Channel. The western districts are not visited so 

 plentifully, the flat coasts of Lancashire, the north 

 of Ireland, and the Sol way area being its principal 

 resorts. This Scoter is an adept diver ; in fact, 

 almost all its food is obtained in that way. Like 

 the Eider the Scoter is fond of working shorewards 

 with the tide, feeding as it comes, and retiring from 

 the land again when its appetite is satisfied. The 

 food of this Duck consists in winter chiefly 

 of molluscs and crustaceans ; but in summer the 

 leaves, roots, and buds of aquatic plants are eaten, 

 as are also insects. The Scoter flies well and 

 rapidly, and is not unfrequently seen in the air, 

 especially when in flocks. These sometimes circle 

 and gyrate for some time after they are flushed 

 before settling on the sea again. The usual note of 

 the Scoter is a harsh kurr, modulated into a more 



