5 ° 
Allen’s naturalist’s library. 
ofShAmS™ ‘If “ inli«bilant 
Eange outside the British Islands.— The Surf Scoter is un nr 
casiona visitor to the shores of Western Europe, besides the 
Br tish Islands, having been obtained off Northern France as 
we 1 as the coast of Swedish Lapland, and near Ohnd .n’rl 
Baltic, as well as in Heligoland waters In Nnrih 'a ■ 
.ke h|h ■: 
f n ^ "''liter, and extends to 
Lower California in the west, and to the B^rmudaf a^id to 
Jamaica in its eastern winter range It is i ^ 
straggler in Greenland. ^ ^ 
Habits.— Like the Velvet Scoter, the present species follows 
many land routes in arriving at its winter quarters but k al Jo 
lequents the sea-coasts, where it associates with other kinds of 
Ducks, such as Long-tailed Ducks, and the other spSS of 
floT*^' breeding-season the males assLible in 
flocks, and separate from the females, and leave to the latter 
A t Mr. E. W. Nelson says that in 
Alaska, “ during the mating-season, they have a low clear Xt e 
for a call-note, and may readily be decoved within ^ ™ u 
by imitating it from a < blind.’ They areTery cur nnfr 
this time, and I have seen a flock rise and come urwiS'i; 
few yards of me as I was trying to creen im within ^ u 
.hem,- H. aUo give, the S.O„“,hJ 
23rd of August, 1878, I visited Stewart TcianA Gnthe 
to the seaward ^f St. MichaS Ifl nS ‘ h" 
kyak, I found the water literally black with the ma es onhis 
species, which were united in an enormous flnet fn ■ 
continuous band around the outer end of the fsla^d for"a"H' ^ 
tance of about ten miles in length, and from onrSft Lee' 
fourths of a mile in width. As the boat approached hem' 
those nearest began to rise heavily by aid ofVintrc nnu r ! 
from .he gtey surface of .he ge’n.l/ “ 
water. The first to rise communicated the alaL m th ™ 
beyond, until, as far as could be seen, the water wls coSted 
