THE COMMON SCOTER. 



369 



OIDEMIA NIGRA 



322. Oidemia nigra nigra (L.)-- -THE COMMON SCOTER. 



Anas nigra Linnseus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 123 (1758— Lapland and 



England). 



(Edemia nigra (Linnaeus), Yarrell, iv, p. 472 ; Saunders, p. 465. 



Description. — Adult male. Winter. — Entire body-plumage and 

 tail black ; head, nape, sides of neck and upper-parts glossed dull 

 violaceous ; feathers at base of upper mandible black without 

 violaceous gloss, soft and downy in structure ; those of rest of 

 head and neck (not chin or throat) pointed at tip giving a character- 

 istically " crimped " appearance, less pronounced on nape ; centre 

 of breast, belly and vent rather a brownish -black, dusky-brown 

 bases of feathers not being completely concealed ; primaries brown- 

 black, inner webs pale dusky- brown shading almost to white at 



The Common Scoter {Oidemia n. nigra). 2nd primaries of A. <$ adult, B. $ juv. 



utmost base ; secondaries black, inner webs brown- black or dusky- 

 brown, innermost black ; primary-coverts, bastard-wing and 

 greater coverts brown-black, remaining coverts as upper-paits. 

 This plumage is acquired by a body-moult from Sept. to March. 

 Summer. — There appears to be a partial moult involving feathers 

 of head and neck and a few of body in April. Coloration as winter. 

 Adult male. Eclipse. — No birds moulting into eclipse have 

 been examined ; some feathers of head, neck and under-parts 

 appear to be moulted, followed by wing and tail in Sept. -Oct. 

 Crown, nape, sides of face and sides of neck duller black with less 

 bluish gloss than winter and feathers square at tip and thus with 

 little indication of " crimping " on head and neck ; breast, belly 

 and vent browner than winter, feathers sooty-brown or drab-brown 

 shading to black-brown at tip and with ash-brown bases ; feathers 

 of sides of body and flanks sooty- brown shading to black at tip ; 

 rest of plumage as winter.* 



* I am indebted to Mr. E. Lehn Schioler for first showing me the eclipse 

 plumage of O. n. nigra and above desciiption is taken from three flightless 

 .specimens (one Sept. and two Oct.) in his collection. 



VOL. II. 2 B 



