﻿62 
  NORTH 
  AMERICAN 
  DUCKS, 
  GEESE, 
  AND 
  SWANS. 
  

  

  Oidemia 
  perspicillata 
  (Linn.)- 
  Surf 
  Scoter. 
  

  

  Breeding 
  range. 
  — 
  This 
  species 
  breeds 
  in 
  northeastern 
  Quebec 
  (Point 
  

   de 
  Monts), 
  southern 
  Labrador, 
  and 
  Newfoundland, 
  north 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  

   Hudson 
  Strait; 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  summer 
  visitor 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Greenland 
  

   (Kangerajuk) 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  Disco 
  Bay, 
  but 
  is 
  

   not 
  known 
  to 
  breed; 
  accidental 
  in 
  northern 
  Europe; 
  breeds 
  abundantly 
  

   at 
  Fort 
  Churchill, 
  Hudson 
  Bay, 
  at 
  Great 
  Slave 
  Lake, 
  probably 
  at 
  

   Athabaska 
  Lake, 
  and 
  north 
  to 
  the 
  Arctic 
  coast, 
  west 
  to 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  

   the 
  Mackenzie. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  common 
  breeder 
  on 
  the 
  headwaters 
  of 
  the 
  

   Yukon, 
  and 
  from 
  Sitka 
  north 
  to 
  Kotzebue 
  Sound. 
  The 
  species 
  

   apparently 
  is 
  lacking 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  coast 
  of 
  Alaska, 
  but 
  nonbreeding 
  

   birds 
  are 
  abundant 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  northeastern 
  Siberia. 
  Nonbreeders 
  

   are 
  found 
  also 
  all 
  through 
  the 
  summer 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  south 
  to 
  

   Long 
  Island 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  to 
  Lower 
  California. 
  

  

  Winter 
  range. 
  — 
  The 
  surf 
  scoter 
  remains 
  around 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St. 
  Law- 
  

   rence 
  until 
  forced 
  away 
  by 
  ice, 
  and 
  passes 
  the 
  winter 
  from 
  about 
  the 
  

   Bay 
  of 
  Fund} 
  T 
  south 
  to 
  Florida. 
  It 
  is 
  enorrnousty 
  abundant 
  from 
  

   Massachusetts 
  to 
  New 
  Jersey, 
  and 
  still 
  common 
  to 
  North 
  Carolina; 
  

   accidental 
  in 
  the 
  Bermudas; 
  it 
  visits 
  commonly 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  and 
  

   extends 
  south 
  rarelv 
  to 
  Louisiana 
  (New 
  Orleans, 
  March 
  20, 
  1890), 
  

   Illinois 
  (opposite 
  St. 
  Louis, 
  May 
  3, 
  1876), 
  Kansas 
  (Lawrence, 
  

   October 
  29, 
  1887), 
  Nebraska 
  (Lincoln, 
  October 
  7, 
  1896; 
  Omaha), 
  

   Colorado 
  (Loveland, 
  October 
  31, 
  1899; 
  Denver, 
  October 
  22, 
  1899), 
  

   W} 
  T 
  oming 
  (Douglas, 
  October 
  19, 
  1893); 
  on 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  from 
  the 
  

   Near 
  Islands, 
  and 
  the 
  Aleutians 
  south 
  to 
  San 
  Quentin 
  Bay, 
  Lower 
  

   California. 
  

  

  Spring 
  migration. 
  — 
  Birds 
  from 
  the 
  south 
  occasionally 
  return 
  to 
  

   Nova 
  Scotia 
  late 
  in 
  March, 
  more 
  commonly 
  the 
  first 
  week 
  in 
  April, 
  

   and 
  reach 
  their 
  breeding 
  grounds 
  about 
  the 
  first 
  week 
  in 
  May. 
  

   Those 
  that 
  migrate 
  through 
  the 
  interior 
  are 
  nearly 
  three 
  weeks 
  later. 
  

   The 
  Alaskan 
  breeding 
  grounds 
  are 
  reached 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  May. 
  

   Eggs 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  at 
  Fort 
  Anderson 
  June 
  25 
  and 
  downy 
  young 
  

   near 
  Fort 
  Yukon 
  June 
  23. 
  

  

  Fall 
  migration. 
  — 
  In 
  1900 
  stragglers 
  appeared 
  off 
  the 
  coasts 
  of 
  Mary- 
  

   land 
  and 
  Virginia 
  the 
  last 
  week 
  in 
  August, 
  about 
  three 
  weeks 
  earlier 
  

   than 
  usual. 
  The 
  first 
  fall 
  migrants 
  commonly 
  arrive 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  

   Massachusetts 
  and 
  Long 
  Island 
  Sound 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  September 
  and 
  

   are 
  followed 
  the 
  second 
  week 
  in 
  October 
  by 
  the 
  main 
  flight. 
  The 
  last 
  

   leave 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St. 
  Lawrence 
  on 
  the 
  average 
  November 
  7. 
  Arrivals 
  

   on 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  are 
  rather 
  later 
  than 
  in 
  corresponding 
  latitudes 
  on 
  

   the 
  coast. 
  A 
  few 
  surf 
  scoters 
  are 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  California 
  coast 
  in 
  July 
  

   and 
  August, 
  though 
  the 
  mam 
  body 
  hardly 
  appears 
  before 
  November. 
  

   They 
  leave 
  St. 
  Michael, 
  Alaska, 
  and 
  the 
  upper 
  Mackenzie 
  about 
  the 
  

   middle 
  of 
  October. 
  

  

  