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  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  The 
  American 
  scoter 
  which 
  is 
  known 
  on 
  Long 
  Island 
  as 
  the 
  Black 
  

   coot, 
  Whistling 
  coot, 
  or 
  Yellow-billed 
  coot 
  is 
  a 
  common 
  wmter 
  visitor 
  on 
  

   the 
  coast, 
  arriving 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  about 
  the 
  15th 
  of 
  October, 
  but 
  sometimes 
  

   as 
  early 
  as 
  the 
  21st 
  of 
  September, 
  and 
  returning 
  from 
  the 
  nth 
  to 
  the 
  25th 
  

   of 
  April. 
  At 
  times 
  it 
  is 
  abundant 
  on 
  the 
  Hudson, 
  according 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Mearns, 
  

   and 
  is 
  a 
  common 
  fall 
  migrant 
  on 
  Lakes 
  Erie, 
  Ontario 
  and 
  Champlain. 
  

   On 
  the 
  smaller 
  riA-^ers 
  and 
  lakes, 
  however, 
  it 
  is 
  little 
  known, 
  and 
  the 
  males 
  

   in 
  adult 
  plumage 
  are 
  scarceh" 
  ever 
  procured 
  except 
  along 
  the 
  coast. 
  Mr 
  

   James 
  Savage 
  refers 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  flights 
  on 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  as 
  follows: 
  "This 
  

   species 
  and 
  the 
  next 
  are 
  abundant 
  on 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  in 
  October. 
  A 
  few 
  sometiines 
  

   arrive 
  before 
  September 
  ist, 
  but 
  the 
  first 
  big 
  flight 
  usually 
  takes 
  place 
  the 
  

   last 
  week 
  in 
  September. 
  They 
  occur 
  in 
  large 
  flocks, 
  decoy 
  easily 
  and 
  are 
  

   killed 
  in 
  great 
  numbers 
  even 
  though 
  not 
  desirable 
  for 
  the 
  table. 
  x\t 
  the 
  

   beginning 
  of 
  the 
  flight 
  last 
  fall 
  (1899) 
  one 
  gunner 
  whom 
  I 
  know, 
  killed 
  

   log 
  in. 
  one 
  forenoon 
  and 
  quit 
  because 
  he 
  had 
  no 
  more 
  ammunition. 
  The 
  big 
  

   flight 
  of 
  scoters 
  this 
  fall 
  (1900) 
  occurred 
  on 
  October 
  9th. 
  On 
  that 
  day 
  

   two 
  men 
  in 
  a 
  boat 
  came 
  in 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  Michigan 
  street 
  with 
  156. 
  On 
  the 
  

   same 
  day 
  two 
  brothers, 
  friends 
  of 
  mine, 
  shot 
  175 
  on 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  near 
  Angola, 
  

   Erie 
  CO." 
  

  

  This 
  scoter 
  has 
  the 
  same 
  habits 
  as 
  the 
  following 
  species 
  and 
  like 
  them 
  

   breeds 
  in 
  Labrador 
  and 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  arctic 
  America, 
  wintering 
  on 
  the 
  

   Great 
  Lakes 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  from 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St 
  Lawrence 
  

   to 
  South 
  Carolina 
  and 
  rarely 
  farther. 
  

  

  Oidemia 
  deglandi 
  Bonaparte 
  

   White-winged 
  Scoter 
  

  

  Plate 
  20 
  

  

  Oidemia 
  deglandi 
  Bonaparte. 
  Rev. 
  Crit. 
  de 
  I'Orn. 
  Europ. 
  de 
  Dr 
  Degl. 
  1850. 
  

  

  p. 
  108. 
  

   Fuligula 
  fusca 
  DeKay. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  337 
  

   Oidemia 
  deglandi 
  A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  165 
  

  

  deglan'di, 
  to 
  C. 
  G. 
  Degland 
  

  

  Description. 
  Feathering 
  advancing 
  about 
  as 
  far 
  on 
  the 
  forehead 
  as 
  on 
  

   the 
  lores 
  ; 
  sides 
  of 
  upper 
  mandible 
  sunken 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  ; 
  lores 
  separated 
  from 
  

  

  