SURF SCOTER VELVET SCOTER. 211 



GENUS XCIX. OIDEMIA (SCOTER). 



SPECIES 202 THE SURF SCOTER. 

 Oidemia perspicillata. Selby. 



Canard marchand. Temm. 



THIS fine -looking species, so interesting to the ornithologist 

 from the extraordinary appearance of the beak, is a bird of 

 the greatest rarity in its occurrence in our island, only a sin- 

 gle specimen having been obtained, for a notice of which we 

 are indebted to Mr. Thompson's work. 



" A beautiful adult male of this species was shot at Bally- 

 holme, Belfast Bay, on the 9th of September, 1846, by Snowden 

 Corken, Esq. It was alone, about two hundred yards from 

 the shore, allowed three shots to be fired at it before attempt^ 

 ing to dive, and was killed at the fourth or fifth shot, on 

 reaching the surface after having dived. Two of these birds 

 had, a day or two before, been observed in company in the 

 same locality, and one individual was seen several times in the 

 course of a few weeks after the subject of this notice had 

 been killed. It is at present preserved in the Belfast 

 Museum." 



Habitat North America. 



SPECIES 203 THE VELVET SCOTER. 



Oidemia fusca. Fleming. 

 Canard double macreuse. Temm. 



Double Scoter. Black Duck. 



THE VELVET SCOTER is another example of the same style 

 of colouring, and the protuberance of the bill in a lesser de- 

 gree than that which distinguishes the preceding species. 



Occurring in limited numbers along various parts of the 

 coast at feeding stations situated at a considerable distance 

 from land, and from being but rarely observed, like those spe- 

 cies which might be more correctly classed as shore ducks, to 

 distinguish them from the essentially maritime habits of the 

 scoter, the velvet duck appears of more rarity than it really 

 is. Feeding upon molluscs, which are obtained by diving, 

 it is rarely tempted to approach the shore, but remains at 

 all times remote from observation and danger. 



Of rare occurrence along the Dublin coasts, where it has 

 never come under our observation, it appears, on the au- 

 thority of Robert J. Montgomery, Esq., to be a frequent 

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