The Common Scoter 
59 
They fly in long lines or "wedge" formation, the latter part of the flock often much 
''strung" out owing to the fact that the whole flock does not rise at once but in succession. 
In fogs they seem to lose their bearings and to fly about in a promiscuous manner. One 
winter at Torquay, in Devonshire, I tried several times to shoot some Common Scoters, but 
could never approach them. One day, when there was a dense sea-fog, my boatman asked 
me to come out if I did not mind being run down by a steamer, so we rowed to sea with, I 
must confess, on my part, but little hope of seeing anything. About half a mile from 
the shore the Scoters were "grunting" and flying in every direction. Several passed close 
to the boat, and I shot four in a very short time, but the weird booming of fog-horns on all 
sides was not pleasant, so we soon beat a retreat to the shore. 
As is the case with other diving ducks, Common Scoters when in flocks do not asso- 
ciate to any extent with other species. Single birds on migration will join other ducks, but 
the large packs keep apart on their own areas of sea, where they rest and feed. In North 
America the American Scoter frequently flies in company with Eiders, but does not feed in 
the same places. Common Scoters are the shyest members of the genus, and are gene- 
rally very wild on the open sea and difficult to approach with a sailing boat. Like all the 
true sea-ducks, however, they are easy to approach in a gunning punt, though the days on 
which such a flimsy craft can be used with safety on the open sea are not frequent. Under 
any circumstances the gunner should be accompanied by a large sailing boat which can be 
kept within hail. In North America enormous numbers of American Scoters, Eiders, and 
other sea-ducks are killed by shooters hiding in sink-boats, floating platforms filled with 
sunk barrels in which the shooter hides, and near which decoys are placed. In March and April 
enormous numbers of duck are wending their way north and come readily to the decoys. 
Both in winter and spring Common Scoters separate in flocks consisting of adult males and 
others containing none but females and young. Very often these parties of different sexes 
are found in the same place, and at other times adult males are only seen off" certain coasts, 
whilst immatures and females occupy other places. This seems to be the case with all the 
sea-ducks. 
In winter the cry of both adult male and female and immatures is a harsh grating call 
which is so common amongst other sea-ducks, but in spring the adult male utters 
a somewhat musical bell-like call which is very difficult to render in words. Naumann 
expresses it in the words " Skriick-liick " on two notes making a major third, but I do not 
think that this is a good definition of the sound. Faber, who studied these birds in 
Iceland at the breeding time, says the male at the nest utters a short, low, quickly-reiterated, 
and flute-like call, such as " tu-tu-tii-tii," whilst the female answers with a hoarse 
" re-re-re-re-re." 
The Common Scoter feeds principally on conchylia, and to a lesser degree on sea 
and fresh-water worms, small fish, crabs, insects, and portions of water-plants. On 
the sea their principal food is the edible mussel, Mytilus edulis. Speaking of their food, 
Naumann (Nattirgeschichte Vdgel Mitteleiiropas, x. 248) says : 
" In the stomachs of birds killed here (Germany), particularly young birds, I found traces of all 
the food-stuffs above named, especially very many nodular roots of water-plants which look like sprouting 
wheat, which are the favourite food of all the other diving duck which visit us, and probably come from 
Polygonum amphibmm. In places where they cannot find enough snails and mussels, coarse sand takes 
