WILD FOWL 
SURF-SCOTER 
CEDE MIA PERSPICILLATA 
(Plate XXIX, Fig. 3) 
Oidemia perspicillata, Gould, Birds Europe, v, pi. 376 (1837). 
(Edemia perspicillata. Dresser, Birds Europe, vi, p. 669, pi. 450 (1877) ; Salvador!, Cat. Birds 
Brit. Mus., xxvii, p. 412 (1895) ; Lilford, Col. Fig. Brit. Birds, part xxxi, pi. (1895) ; Saunders, 
III. Man. Brit. Birds, p. 469 (1899). 
DULT male. — General colour velvety -black, with a large, 
almost quadrangular, white patch on the crown* and 
/ a larger wedge-shaped white patch on the nape and 
/ back of the neck; the inner webs of the primaries, 
/ except the tips, smoky-brown, the first with the terminal 
•A half very slightly attenuated. Iris bright yellowish - 
white; upper part of bill at the base, including the nostrils, dull crimson, 
shading into scarlet on the anterior part of the culmen; nail cadmium- 
yellow; on the swollen basal part of the side a nearly square black patch, 
bordered posteriorly with crimson and above with orange; beneath and 
in front as far as the anterior edge of the nostril white, the remaining 
portion to the nail pure orange; outer side of tarsus and toes, except the 
inner toe, crimson; the inner side and both sides of the inner toe orange - 
chrome, blackish about the joints, webs black. Total length about 21 
inches; bill 1 '4 inch; wing 9 2 inches; tail 3 ’5 inches; tarsus 1 75 inch. 
Adult female . — General colour above brown, whitish on the lores and 
ear -coverts; the feathers of the back usually with paler margins; the 
underparts paler brown mottled with white, especially on the middle 
of the breast and belly; vent and under tail-coverts uniform dark brown. 
Iris yellowish -white; bill greenish -black, a swelling on the basal part 
of the side as in the male, but much less developed ; feet yellowish -orange, 
webs greyish -black. Total length about 16 inches; bill 15 inch; wing 
8 6 inches; tail 2 8 inches; tarsus 1*5 inch. 
General distribution . — ^The surf-scoter is a native of North America, 
ranging during the summer months from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and 
from about 70° down to about 48° N. latitude. In winter it visits the 
shores of the Great Lakes, and wanders southwards along the coasts to 
Lower California on the west and to Florida on the east, being occasionally 
^The white patch on the crown is occasionally absent in examples which appear to be fully adult. 
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