152 
British Birds. 
The Common Scoter. The Surf Scoter. The Velvet Scoter. 
The “ Black Duck,” as it is generally called, is a common 
THE COMMON . t t .. t 
winter visitor to all our coasts, and is known by its entirely 
SCOTER. 7 J 
(CEdemia nigra ) black coloration, the bill having a yellow patch and a swollen 
knob at the base, while the iris is white. It breeds in the North 
of Scotland, and is said to nest occasionally in England. It also nests throughout 
Northern Europe and Siberia, and is only seen inland during the breeding season, 
when it frequents the shores of lakes ; it is at other times essentially a maritime 
Duck. The nest consists of a hollow scraped out in the ground and lined with 
leaves and grass, and the bird’s own down. The eggs are eight or nine in number, 
of a light cream-'colour, and slightly glossy ; they measure about two-and-a-half to 
two-and-three-quarter inches in length. 
This Duck is recognised from the Common Scoter by its 
slightly larger size, white wing-speculum, orange -yellow bill, and 
dull crimson or orange-red feet. It is believed that a few breed 
in some of the highland lochs in Scotland, but it is principally 
known as a winter visitor to Great Britain. Its nesting-home is from Scandinavia 
throughout Northern Europe and Siberia, and it visits Southern Europe, Central Asia 
and China in winter. It feeds principally on molluscs, which it obtains by diving. 
The nest is found on the shores of inland lakes and rivers, and is a mere depression 
in the ground, lined with grass and down. The eggs are eight or nine in number, of a 
creamy stone-colour, and measure two-and-three-quarters to three inches in length. 
This is the largest of the three British Scoters, and has the bill 
reddish with a black spot on each side ; the feet are crimson with 
orange-chrome on both sides of the inner toes ; the iris is white. 
There is no white speculum on the wing, but there is a white 
patch on the crown and another on the back of the neck. It is 
THE VELVET 
SCOTER. 
(CEdemia fusca.) 
THE 
SURF SCOTER. 
( CEdemia 
perspicillata.) 
