160 



GAME BIRDS, WILD-FOWL AND SHORE BIRDS. 



WHITE- WINGED SCOTER {Oidemia deglandi). 



Common or local names: Male: Black White-wing. Female and young: Gray White- 

 wing. Both sexes: White-winged Coot; May White-wing; Eastern White-wing ; 

 Pied-winged Coot; Uncle Sam Coot. 



Female. 



Male. 



Length. — 19.60 to 22.75 inches. 



AduU Male. — Small patch below and behind eye, and wing patch white ; rest of 

 plumage black or brownish black; iris white; bill pinkish purple, reddish, 

 orange, black and white; feet orange red or coral red and wine purple. 



Adult Female. — Sides of head more or less flecked with whitish; wing 

 patch white; rest of upper parts sooty brown or dirty gray; below 

 grayish brown; iris deep brown; bill grayish black; feet brownish red. 

 Trumbull ^ states that the adult female has a pink patch on the side of 

 bill, but other authors disagree. 



Young. — Similar, but no pink on bill; sides of head more or less whitish, 

 divided sometimes, but not always, into two large spots by an exten- 

 sion of brown of neck up to eye. 



Field Marks. — Size of Black Duck, black or dark brown. Hardly two 

 authors agree in describing this bird. Some state that the female has 

 two white patches on the side of the head, one near base of bill and the 

 other behind eye; others say that only the young have these; others 

 attribute them only to the young male, which usually has them. The 

 descriptions of the coloration of the bill are widely different. The 

 truth of the matter is that the individuals of the species vary so 

 much in shape of fore part of head and bill, and in the distribution 

 of the colors of bill and plumage, that the only safe field mark is the 

 white vying patch, which no other New England Scoter has. 



" Auk, 1893, p. 170. 



