AMERICAN SCOTER. 207 



in the vicinity of a bay or inlet. These assemblies con- 

 tinue to grow in numbers throughout the summer. 

 Sometimes the males are seen with the females in the 

 marshes throughout the season, but these are late 

 breeders. The young are kept by the females near the 

 nest in some pond until half grown, and then they gradu- 

 ally work their way down to the sea. Their habits dur- 

 ing the breeding season are very much like those of the 

 Eiders. 



About the middle of October the migration southward 

 begins. Upon the Atlantic coast the American Scoter 

 appears from its northern breeding grounds in Septem- 

 ber. These individuals are mainly old birds, the young 

 coming during October. They are associated with the 

 two other species of Scoter, and continue to pass along 

 the coast until late in the winter. The present species is 

 less numerous than the others, and while the members of 

 the flocks usually keep pretty well together, they yet at 

 times become all mixed up with the White-winged and 

 Surf Scoters. They keep at quite a distance from the 

 beach, and fly in a long line just above the water, headed 

 generally by some old male. They travel at a great speed, 

 sometimes at the rate of, possibly, one hundred miles an 

 hour, and are very difficult to kill, not only because of the 

 rapidity of their flight, but also on account of the density 

 of their feathers, which to a great extent prevents the shot 

 from entering the body. As a diver, like all Sea Ducks, 

 this Scoter is most skillful, disappearing without efifort 

 beneath the surface, and remaining for an exceedingly 

 long time without rising. If wounded it will frequently 

 seize some grass growing on the bottom, as already re- 

 lated of some other deep-water Ducks, and commit 

 suicide by drowning rather than permit itself to be cap- 

 tured. If the water is clear, the bird can be seen close to 



