Genus : Oidemia 
THE COMMON SCOTER 
Oidemia nigra (Linnsus) 
Anas nigra, Linn., Syst. Nat., ed. x. i. p. 123 (1758). 
Anas nigra, Linn., Syst. Nat., ed. xii. i. p. 196 (1766). 
La Macreuse, Buff., Hist. Nat. Ois., ix. p. 234 (1783). 
Anas atra, Pall., Zoogr. Rosso-As., ii. p. 247 (1811). 
Oidemia, Flem. {anas nigra et fusca), Phil, of Zool., ii. p. 260 (1822). 
Melanitta nigra (L.), Boie, Isis, 1822, p. 564. 
Platypus niger (L.), C. L. Brehm, Lehrb. Naturg. eur. Vog., ii. p. 820 (1824). 
Oidemia nigra (L.), Flem., Brit. Anim,, p. 119 (1828). 
Oidemia leucocephala, Flem., op. cit., p. 119 (1828, nec Gmel.). 
Melanitta nigripes, C. L. Brehm, Vog. Deutschl., p. 901 (1831). 
Melanitta megauros et M. gibbera, C. L. Brehm, op. cit., p. 902 (1831). 
Fuligula nigra (L.), Degl., Orn. Eur., ii. p. 470 (1849). 
Oedemia nigra, O. gibbera, 0. nigripes, O. megauros, C. L. Brehm, Vogelfang, p. 383 (1855). 
Oidemia nigra nigra (L.), Authors' Hand-List Brit. B. (1912). 
Local Names. — Scoter, Black Scoter, Common Scoter, Black Duck {English) ; Black Coot, Gray Coot, 
Butterbill, Broadbill Coot (A^. America)', Tunnag-dubh {Gaelic); Sortand, Kuland, Svarten, Sort 
Himmelkund {Danish)', Merilintu, Mustalintu, Njuorkua, Kuorpisuorsa {Finnish); Hrafnsond, 
Dukond {Icelandic) ; Njurkku {Lappish) ; Svartand {Norwegian) ; Sjoorre, Hafsorre Svarta, Watte- 
norre, Doppand, Svartand {Swedish) ; Macreuse, Grisette (Juv.), Bisette, Mourette, Morillon, Moril- 
lon noire, Jeffre noire {French) ; Knobbed (male), Biihrn (female) {Heligoland) ; Zwarre Zee-eend, 
Wigstaart, Noordsche eend {Dutch); Trauer-Ente, Schwarze Ente, Vageln, Swart Ant mit en 
Knust, &c. {German) ; Patka crua, Crni turpan {Croatian) ; Kachna cerna {Czechish) ; Melna pihle 
{Esthnian) ; Macrosa {Italian) ; Bourk-el-behar {Moorish) ; Negrolla, Negra {Portuguese) ; Pato negro, 
Morell de Mar {Spanish) ; Fekete recze {Hungarian) ; Chernay-antka, Nyrok sinjga {Russian). 
Egg. — Usually 5 to 8, and very rarely 9 in number. Clutches of 10 and 1 1 are said to 
have been found in Iceland. The egg is large, smooth, fine grained, and of a beautiful 
warm cream colour when fresh. 
Average size of 70 eggs, 65.42 x 44.69 mm. (2.57 x 17.5 in.) ; max., 72 x 44.3 and 65x47 
mm. ; min., 59x42.5 and 60.9x42 (Jourdain). 
Incubation, which is performed by the female alone, is estimated by Hantzsch at four 
weeks. Major Trevelyan states that a female sat for thirty-two days. For nesting down I 
must refer my readers to the description in the Zoologist, 1906, p. 376, and the paper by Mr. 
Heatley Noble in British Birds, ii. p. 39, pi. ii. fig. 15. The down found by myself in 
a nest in Iceland was of a dark smoky-grey. 
Young in Down. — Upper parts dark brown ; cheeks and abdomen grey ; chest crossed 
by a band of smoky-brown ; chin white ; bill lead-black ; feet and legs greenish-brown. 
Immature Male. — In first plumage the bill of the young male is black, with only a 
very slight touch of reddish-yellow round the nostrils. There is no knob. Irides dark 
brown ; feet dull olive-green, with the joints, webs, and soles dull black ; crown and back 
of the head dark brown ; cheeks and throat whitish-grey ; upper chest and flanks light 
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