a few days' shooting with hand-guns in the former 

 locahty. Few parts of our shores are without some of 

 these birds in the winter months, but they are said to 

 be comparatively uncommon in the west and south of 

 Ireland, though in my own experience occasionally to be 

 seen in myriads off the north-eastern coasts of that 

 island. I found this bird to be frequent in the harbours 

 of Santander and Vigo in the months of December and 

 January ; Colonel Irby records it as occasionally very 

 common about the Straits and Bay of Gibraltar; in tbe 

 western basin of the Mediterranean it is decidedly 

 uncommon, but occurs in the Adriatic. I have recently 

 been informed of the appearance of large numbers of 

 Scoters on the western coast of Morocco. This species 

 feeds entirely by diving, its food consisting principally, 

 if not exclusively, of marine mollusca, but in captivity it 

 will readily devour small fishes. Mr. F. S. Mitchell, in 

 his ' Birds of Lancashire,' gives some interesting details 

 of the capture of Scoters and Scaup Ducks by means of 

 nets set upon their feeding-places during " high-water 

 time." It is somewhat remarkable that many, I think 

 that I may say most, of the recorded inland occurrences 

 of the Scoter in England that have come to my know- 

 ledge have taken place, not, as might be expected, in a 

 stress of cold weather, but between June and the middle 

 of October. From the nature of its diet, the flesh of 

 the Scoter is coarse and fishy in flavour, but may be 

 rendered very palatable by skinning and dexterous 

 cooking. Mr. Hunt assured me that his cottagers very 

 gratefully received, and heartily devoured, the Scoters 

 that he gave to them, and I found that my yacht's crews 



