136 THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 



They are very common in New Jersey in bays and rivers, 

 especially where the water is brackish. They remain 

 here from the first of November to the first of April and 

 are less common in midwinter when the bays and rivers 

 are frozen over. Their cry resembles the word scaup ; 

 hence their common name. They feed on moUusks and 

 seeds and their fiesh is considered very palatable. 



Scaup, Ijesser, Iiittle Blackhead, JLittle BluebUl, 

 w Creek Broadbill. — This duck is very similar to the 

 foregoing but about two inches smaller. It has purplish 

 instead of greenish reflections about the head and the 

 sides are strongly marked with black waves. 



Scissors-hill, See Black Skimmer. 



Scoter, ,/imerican, or Black Coot. — Length, nine- 

 teen inches; extent, thirty-one inches; bill, one and 

 fourth-fifths inches. The entire plumage is black, on the 

 neck and back frequentlj^ more or less glossy. The 

 bill is orange at the base. The female is brown, 

 lighter on head and neck. Its nest is found on 

 the ground, near water. The eggs are from six to ten in 

 number, of a pale yellow, two and one-half by one and 

 three-fourths inches in size. It breeds in the far north and 

 in the winter travels south as far as New Jersey, being 

 common in winter off the coast and seldom found in rivers. 

 Its food is composed of mussels, clams and scollops and 

 its flesh is tough and inedible. 



Scoter, Surf, or Sea Coot. — Similar to the foregoing, 

 one inch longer, and with a square white mark on the 

 crown and a triangular white mark on the back of the 

 neck. The female has the upper parts dark brow^n, the 

 throat, the breast, sides and lower belly gray and the 

 upper belly white They nest in tall grass near water. 

 The eggs are from five to eight in number, of a pale yel- 

 low, and two and one-half by one and three-fourths 



