SCOTER DUCK. 623 
coverts, pure white, reaching nearly to the tip of the tail, the whole of 
which is black, but usually concealed by the white coverts; primaries 
and secondaries, deep black; legs, also black ; irides, dark hazel. 
The only material difference observable between the plumage of the 
male and female, is, that in the latter the white spot on the neck is 
less, and more mottled with dusky, In young birds it is sometimes 
wanting, or occurs on the front, cheeks, and chin; and sometimes the 
upper part of the neck only is black; * but in full-plumaged birds of 
both sexes, the markings are very much alike. 
The Brant is often seen in our markets for sale. ‘Its flesh, though 
esteemed by many, tastes somewhat sedgy, or fishy. 
SS 
SCOTER DUCK.— ANAS NIGRA. — Fre. 300. 
Le macreuse, Briss. vi. p. 420, pl. 38, fig. 2.— Buff. ix. p. 234, pl. 16. Pl. enl, 
978. — Bewick, ii. p. 288.— Arct. Zool. No. 484.— Lath. Syn. iii. p. 480.— 
Peale’s Museum, No. 2658. 
OIDEMIA NIGRA.—Fiemine.f 
Oidemia nigra, Flem. Br. Anim. p. 119.— North. Zool. ii. p. 450. ~— Bonap. Synop. 
e 390. --Carnard macreuse, Temm, Man. ii. p. 856.—Scoter, or Black Diver, 
Mont. Ornith. Dict. ii. and Supp. — Bew. Br. Birds, ii. p. 325. — Black Scoter, 
Selby, Illust. Br. Orn. pl. 68. 
Tuis Duck is but little known along our sea-coast, being more 
usually met with in the northern than southern districts, and only 
during the winter. Its food is shell fish, for which it is almost per- 
petually diving. That small bivalve so often mentioned, small muscles, 
spout fish, called on the coast, razor handles, young clams, &c., fur- 
nish it with abundant fare; and wherever these are plenty, the Scoter 
is an occasional visitor. They swim, seemingly at ease, amidst the 
very roughest of the surf, but fly heavily along the surface, and to no 
gredt distance, They rarely penetrate far up our rivers, but seem to 
prefer the neighborhood of the ocean, differmmg in this respect from 
the Cormorant, which often makes extensive visits to the interior. 
The Scoters are said to appear on the coast of France in great 
numbers, to which they are attracted by a certain kind of small bivalve 
shell fish, called vaimeauz, probably differing little from those already 
mentioned. Over the beds of these shell fish the fishermen spread 
their nets, supporting them, horizontally, at the height of two or three 
feet from the bottom. At the flowing of the tide the Scoters approach 
in great numbers, diving after their favorite food, and soon get en- 
tangled in the nets. Twenty or thirty dozen have sometimes been. 
taken in a single tide. These are sold to the Roman Catholics, who 
eat them on those days on which they are forbidden by their religion 
the use of animal food, fish excepted; these birds, and a few others of 
* The figure of this bird, given by Bewick, is in that state. 
t The plumage on the head and neck of this bird is remarkable_for its rigid tex- 
ture, and the narrow, hackled shape of the feathers. — Ep. 
