54 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. 



orange ; the irides brown ; all the plumage deep black ; legs 

 and toes dusky black, the webs darker, or quite black. 



The bill of the Scoter is rather peculiar in shape, the 

 base being much swollen, and the tip flattened, and 

 terminated by a large flat nail; the nostrils are placed 

 nearly in the middle ; they are oval in shape and somewhat 

 elevated. 



The tail is short and sharply pointed, and the legs are 

 situated considerably behind the centre of gravity. This 

 last arrangement is the cause of a very awkward gait when 

 the bird walks or tries to run, but is very common amongst 

 those members of the Duck family which pass little of their 

 time on shore. 



The food of the Scoter is said to consist almost entirely 

 of the soft bodies of mussels and similar bivalves; these 

 the birds obtain by diving, and for this purpose they 

 approach the shores at each flood-tide. Yarrell states that 

 in consequence of this habit, " the fishermen on the coast, 

 at the ebb-tide, spread their nets horizontally about two or 

 three feet above the beds of shell-fish which are most 

 frequented by these birds. Upon the return of the tide 

 the Scoters approach in great numbers, and diving for their 

 food, become entangled in the meshes of the floating nets ; 

 and in this way it is said that twenty or thirty dozen have 

 been taken in a single tide/' 



The Scoter, however, is not very good eating, the 

 flesh being coarse and oily, and the flavour fishy in the 

 extreme, as usual amongst sea varieties. The Romish 

 Church, however (on this very account, probably), permits 

 the eating of this bird in Lent, and consequently it is in 

 considerable demand in Roman Catholic countries. 



It very seldom breeds in Great Britain, according to 



