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ANATID.E. 



Sociability with its own species does not reckon among 

 the virtues of the Velvet Scoter ; it does not unite in any- 

 great numbers with its species, but is usually seen in parties 

 of from three to six, and is often observed as a solitary 

 wanderer. 



The call-note of this bird sounds very much like that 

 of our carrion crow, and does not lay claim to much har- 

 mony. 



The food of the Velvet Scoter is much the same as that 

 of the Black Scoter ; but, in addition to the bill of fare 

 before mentioned, we must add worms, small fry, roots, and 

 buds of water-plants, and many seeds. It is remarkable 

 that this species swallows muscles whole together with 

 the shell, and as they go through the bird, these shells 

 are ground, or triturated by the action of the stomach. 



The breeding localities of the Velvet Scoter are appa- 

 rently not in quite such high northern latitudes as those of 

 the foregoing species, but they, nevertheless, abound in central 

 Norway on the lakes and ponds in the vicinity of the sea ; 

 on the islands and between the rocks of the bays of Bothnia 

 and Finland, and are particularly plentiful on the Lake of 

 Ladoga. The male and female appear in pairs long before 

 the breeding-season, and are apparently inseparable. 



About the end of May or the beginning of June, the 

 female deposits her eight or ten eggs (as represented in 

 our Plate), and as soon as the young brood are able to swim, 

 the mother-bird takes them to the sea, where she remains with 

 them, watching for their safety. 



The entire length of the Velvet Scoter is twenty-three 

 inches. The beak, from the forehead, one inch eight lines ; 

 the tarsus one inch nine lines ; the wing, from the carpus to 

 the tip, ten inches ten lines. 



The entire plumage of the adult male of the present 



