206 BRITISH SEA BIRDS. 



company as usual, until the eggs are laid, after 

 which the latter leaves his mate to bring up the 

 brood alone. The Velvet Scoter breeds in the 

 Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe and Asia, 

 from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and winters in 

 temperate latitudes. The breeding-places are chiefly 

 situated on the tundras, amongst scrub or coarse 

 vegetation, near the rivers and lakes. The scanty 

 nest of dry grass and dead leaves is often made 

 under some bush, and, before incubation commences, 

 is lined with down from the body of the female. 

 The eight or nine eggs are greyish-buff in colour* 

 smooth, and with little gloss. As soon as the young 

 are capable of flight, a movement south is made. 



SCAUP DUCK. 



This Duck, the Anas marila of Linnaeus, or 

 Fuligula marila of modern naturalists, derives its 

 trivial name from its habit of frequenting the 

 ' 'mussel-scaups," or "mussel-scalps," and is tolerably 

 abundant round the British coasts during winter. 

 The adult male is distinguished by having the head 

 and neck black, shot with metallic-green and purple, 

 and the back and scapulars vermiculated with white 

 and black. The general colour of the female is 

 brown, shading into grayish -white on the belly, 

 whilst a broad white band extends round the base of 

 the bill. Scaup Ducks begin to arrive off our more 

 northern coasts in September, but not until a month 

 later in the south. They begin to leave us again in 



