DUCKS AND GEESE 79 



The number of eggs varies from six to eight, though ten 

 have been recorded. They are of a "yellowish-buff or 

 greenish-yellow " color. 



WHITE-WINGED SCOTER 



The Scoters are partial to the sea coast. Among the 

 hunters they are kno^vn as " sea coots." Three scoters are 

 common to the American continent; the other two are the 

 Surf Scoters, commonly called the Surf Duck, or Patch- 

 head Coot, and the American Scoter, knoAvn as the Butter- 

 billed Coot. The White-winged Scoter inhabits both the 

 Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and is found on the Great Lakes 

 during the winter months. 



The flight is slow and peculiar. The males are striking 

 in appearance, with their glossy black feathers broken only 

 by white patches on the wing and a small white patch above 

 the eye; the iris is white, the bill yellow and red. 



Large flocks of these birds congregate annually during 

 the summer months among the outer islands of Casco Bay, 

 Maine, but they have never been found breeding in this 

 territory. This is one of the strongest evidences to many 

 that the white-winged scoter's nesting habits are unknown, 

 because they disappear from regions where they are common 

 except during June and July. 



During these months they breed on large inland lakes 

 in Canada and northern United States, especially in the 

 Devil's Lake region of North Dakota, as they seem to 

 enjoy its alkaline waters. A peculiar characteristic is the 

 southward flight made by these birds when they appear at 



