538 BIRDS—ANATID A. 
female, 18-19 inches; wing, 8-9; gape, 2; culmen, 12. Differs from the European in 
shade and coloration of the protuberance on the bill. 
Habitat, North America, both coasts, and large inland waters. 
Rare winter resident or visitor. I can record but three instances of its 
capture. A young male was taken at Licking Reservoir, December, 1876, — 
and preserved by Dr. Jasper, of this city. This is the specimen referred 
to by Dr. Merriam, above cited. Mr. Winslow has since informed me that 
it has been taken on Portage River, in Northern Ohio, and Mr. Chubb 
writes me that he shot one of a flock of three on Lake Erie, in the fall of 
1880. 
Dr. Merriam has taken it on Black River, N. Y., and Mr. J. A. 
Allen reports its capture at St. Louis, Missouri. 
Sub-genus Melanetia. Bill broadly encroached upon by the frontal feathers, on the 
culmen nearly or quite to the nostrils, and on its sides to a less extent, shorter than 
head ; nail broad and truncate; gibbosity superior, circumscribed. 
CipEMIA Fusca (L.) Sw. 
(var?.) VELVETINA CASSIN. 
Velvet Scoter. 
Melaneita velvctina, WHEATON, Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1860, 370, 378; Reprint, 1861, 12, 20. 
Gidemia fusca, WHEATON, Food of Birds, etc., Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1874, 574; Reprint, 
1875, 14.—LANGDON, Revised List, Journ. Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist., i, 1879, 186; Reprint, 
20. . 
Anas fusca, LINNAEUS, Fn. Suec., 39. 
CGdemia fusca, FLEMING, Phil. of Zool., ii, 1823, 260. 
Melanetia velvetina, BarrD, Birds N. A. 1858, 805 
Male black with a large white wing-patch, and another under the eye; feet orange- 
red, with dusky-webs. Bill black, broadly orange-tipped; size of the last or rather 
larger; female smaller, socty-brown, pale-grayish below, with much whitish about 
head, but showing white speculum; bill ail black. 
Habitat, Europe and America, chiefly maritime, but also.on inland waters. 
Rare winter visitor in the interior, probably more frequent on Lake 
Hrie. Mr. Winslow states that this duck sometimes occurs on the lake 
both in the vicinity of Cleveland and Sandusky Bay... Many years since 
I saw an adult bird said to have been taken on the Scioto River, near 
this city. An immature bird was taken at the Licking Reservior in 
December, 1876, in company with the last species. 
Mr. J. A. Allen records two specimens from St. Louis, Missouri, and 
Mr. Nelson gives it as rather common on Lake Michigan and occurring 
throughout the State of Illinois, and Dr. Haymond notes it as “ numer- 
ous in winter” in Franklin county, Indiana. : 
