178 The Water-fowl Family 



coast of Heligoland one stormy winter's night and 

 went to pieces, its cargo being scattered on the 

 bottom in about ten fathoms of water. Thou- 

 sands of scoters fed on these beans until their 

 flesh had entirely lost its fishy flavor, which ren- 

 ders it, as a rule, unacceptable to a civilized pal- 

 ate. These ducks are caught at Heligoland in 

 nets set horizontally in shallow water so that 

 they become bare at low tide. Stones are tied 

 at the four corners, which keep the net a little 

 below the surface as the rising tide elevates the 

 corks. Scoters driving for their food through 

 this net become entangled, drown, and are col- 

 lected at the next low water. 



While the females are incubating the males 

 gather in flocks, like our scoters, and frequent the 

 waters of the bays. The nest is on the ground. 



WHITE-WINGED SCOTER 

 (Oidemia deglandz) 



Adult male — A small spot underneath and behind the eye and the 

 speculum of wing, white ; entire remainder of plumage, black ; 

 flanks occasionally tinged with brown ; base of maxilla with 

 elevated culmen, black ; sides, deep red, grading into orange on 

 culmen ; nail, vermilion ; between nail and nostril, white ; iris, 

 white ; legs and feet, scarlet, with joints and webs, black. 



Measurements — Length, 20 inches; wing, 11 inches; culmen, 1.60 

 inches ; tarsus, 2 inches. 



Adult female — Head, neck, and upper parts, sooty brown ; a spot 

 behind the ear and speculum of wings, white; under parts, 

 grayish brown ; iris, dark ; legs and feet, brownish red ; webs, 

 dusky. 



