62 British Diving Ducks 
but rose, flew a few yards, and settled again. She did not dive ; some, at any rate, of her young did. 
On July 3, when my boat was approaching the island where the nest had been, one of my companions 
exclaimed, as the female Scoter flew past, 'There is the Black Duck.' She was, my boatman said, again 
uttering plaintive cries (probably notes of warning to the young ones). She settled on the water by the 
side of the island. We saw no ducklings, but, suspecting they were in concealment either by or on the 
island, I took the boat to another and adjacent island, lay on its shore, and watched. After about ten 
minutes she rose and flew to the south shore of the lake, about 600 yards distant. I then, with my 
companions, retired further into the island and got under cover. After a short time she returned, settling 
on the water about the same place as before. She was evidently uneasy (the boat was still in view). 
After a few minutes she again rose and flew off, this time to the north shore, about a quarter of a mile 
distant. We remained, and after a few minutes saw five young ducks feeding, i.e. swimming and 
frequently diving along the shore of the island on which the nest had been. Soon the old bird returned, 
took charge of her young brood, swimming with them out into the lough. As soon as they were clear of 
the land I followed, and secured one of the young ones. 
" It was on April 25 that I first saw in 1906 a pair of Common Scoters. They were in the same 
locality as in the two previous years ; they were wild, and rose at about 150 yards distance. On May 18 
I found on the same island as in 1905, but this time under a birch bush, a nest with three Scoter's eggs 
and one of the Tufted Duck. On May 22 I put a Scoter ofl" the nest, which then contained six Scoter's 
and two Tufted Duck's eggs. The nest was partly lined with down. I visited the nest on June 16. 
The eggs were covered, but one egg, a Scoter's, hard set, was lying broken outside the nest. On June 
21 I found the eggs covered with dried grass. On June 24 I visited the nest in a rainstorm, and 
unfortunately put the Scoter off. There was certainly at least one of the eggs chipped, with a young one 
visible through the aperture. On June 26 I visited the nest. The duck was away. There were six cold 
eggs ; they were one Scoter's, broken, a dead duckling in it, which had apparently been ready to emerge ; 
one Scoter's, dead duckling in it ; one Scoter's, partly incubated ; one Scoter's, rotten ; one Tufted 
Duck's, dead duckling in it, which had apparently been ready to emerge ; one Tufted Duck's, partly 
incubated. This left one egg, a Scoter's, unaccounted for, and I hoped the bird had hatched it out ; but 
I saw her subsequently on the lough once or twice, and there was no young one with her. 
" It was no doubt my ill-timed visit to the nest on June 24 that was the cause of the failure of the 
duck to hatch out some of the eggs. I could not see, owing to intervening grass, whether she was sitting 
or not, and while I was deliberating if I should advance or retire she rose. As to my visiting the nest at 
all, on such a day, it must be remembered that I found her sitting on May 22, and that on June 24 she 
had been sitting no less than 33 days, when it might fairly be expected the eggs, if fertile, would have 
hatched out. The long incubation is perhaps to be explained by inclement weather and disturbances 
during the Mayfly season. 
" On June 4 I saw, about if miles from the island on which the Scoter had nested in 1905, two male 
Scoters, apparently in immature plumage. They were probably of the 1905 brood ; they allowed me to 
approach to within 30 yards. On May 21, 1907, and on subsequent occasions, I saw a pair of Common 
Scoters about their old haunts, but found no evidence to show that they nested. They appeared to be 
restless and unsettled, and were seen at places some distance apart during the nesting season. In 1905 
and 1906 the pair of Scoters on the lough were very local. On May 29 I saw one male and two female 
Scoters together, and there were at least that number of these ducks on the lough during the nesting 
season of 1907. 
" On my arrival on the lough on May 4, 1908, I was told a pair of Scoters had been about their old 
haunts, but had left them, and were seen some 3 miles away on April 12 and 26. On May 5 I found them 
near where they had been seen on the above dates, and I saw them from time to time till May 27. On 
June 4 Mr. Robert Patterson, one of the editors of The Irish Naturalist, to whom I had given informa- 
tion as to their whereabouts, found a female Scoter sitting on eight eggs. On June 7 he very kindly 
took me to an island to see the nest, which is well concealed in a furze bush, with cover from view 
from above as well as from all sides ; but, well concealed as the nest is, one of the eggs had disappeared. 
As, however, on June 1 1 there was no further deficiency, it may be hoped the bird will hatch out the 
remainder. On June 8 I saw a female Scoter about 2 miles from the nest. I had heard of a solitary 
female, and think that this year, as last, there are two females and one male on the lough. I have been 
