VELVET 8O0TBB.
obtained all chances would be lost, as the punt must inevitably he swamped. So shouting to the l»cst of my
ability and flinging up an old sou'wester, I tired slightly above a dense mass of birds about fifty
yards distant. That the attempt to rouse them had proved a failure was only too evident, not a fowl
springing on wing till after the Hash of the gun. The moment after pulling the trigger I seized a
heavy shoulder-gun and left the punt to wash in towards the shore, making, as the mass of fowl broke
up into endless looks, a successful shot at eighty or a hundred Wigeon that drifted hack nearly over my
head. The depth or the water at this time of tide being scarcely two feet, there was not the slightest
difficulty, unless an unusually heavy sea swept past, in wading towards the kinds. The men who bad
followed my movemenfs under cover of the banks now arrived on the scene, and proceeded at once to
haul the waler-higged craft ashore, and do their best to put gun and punt in working order. With the
help of the retriever, who had joined me immediately after the shot, I secured fourteen Wigeon stop|>cd
by the shoulder-gun, as well as five more knocked down while flying round over the cripples. The pursuit
of the wounded having led us some distance towards the cast, 1 became aware that the charge from the
big gun, though fading to take effect on the birds for which it was intended, had nevertheless reached
those further off. A couple of disabled fowl (probably immature Long-tails) wen' diving anil flapping
with broken pinions out towards the firth, and "Nell," having made a rain but plucky attempt to reach
them in the surf, fell in with a drake of the some species floating dead on the water, after luruiug to
make her way back to the shore. While the men were completing their work I learned thai a number
of fowl some distance beyond those at which 1 find had risen on wing, and were nattering over the
waves out towards the firlh, the moment before the Hash of the gun was seen. Two birds having the
nppearanee of Geese were stated to have fallen to the shot, as well as one or two Curlew from a flock
flying round al the time. On searching further east, an old Velvet Scoter was detected washing along
the shore in n patch of weed, and "Nell" having been despatched to take a turn over the bentgrass
on the sand-hills, brought back a screaming Curlew that must have run at least half a mile from
where its wound had been received. During a break in the squalls another Scoter was observed paddling
slowly out to sea over the swell about a couple of hundred yards out in the firth; these were doubtless
the birds that one of the men had mistaken for Brent Geese, the drifting rain and scud having rendered
it hv no means easy to ascertain the identity of fowl at any distance. Though the punt-gun, a four-bore,
and two barrels of a ten-double had been discharged, I only succeeded in bagging nineteen Wigeon, a
Curlew, a Velvet Scoter, and a Long-failed Drake, the two last being remarkably fine and well-marked
birds; had the shot from the big gun not proved a failure, it is hard to say what number might not
have been obtained. At the very lowest computation, 1 should think that four or live thousand fowl were
gathered along the shore over a space of little more than a quarter of a mile. It was easy to identify
Mallard, Wigeon, Pintail, Scaup, Velvet Scoters, and Long-tails; the Curlew, I was Informed by the
men, had ban resting huddled up in the shoal water, till rising on wing in response to the call of a
small party of their own species passing over. As no varieties had come under observation, and much
time and labour would be needed to rectify the effects of the thorough drenching that all the gear bad
undergone, I started back for Tain, leaving the men to bring on the punt and heavy guns. On reaching
home I learned that kindly neighbours had twice brought word of the sinking of my punt in the firlh.
To any one, however, who did not fear the effects of a saltwater bath there was not the slightest danger
in the attempt to obtain a shot. Though the chances of success bad been exceedingly small, ¡1 was a
most interesting sight to watch the thousands of fowl quietly riding over the swell or spreading their
wings for a moment to escape the effect of the broken water. When a lull occurred, I remarked thai,
with but few exceptions, the Wigeon and other fovt 1 within sight turned their beads over on their
backs, being doubtless weary and worn out by the long-continued butielings of the storm.
VELVET SCOTER. :i
The upper mandible of this handsome species exhibits a striking combination of tints. The colours
on the soft parts of an adult male shot on the Dornoch Firth, off Golspie, on the 1 It la of April, 180ft, may
he described as follows:—The protuberance on the upper mandible is black, the colour stretching just
below the nostrils, both in front and at the sides; the centre down to the nail is white; the sides (the
colouring stretching almost to the base, which is black for a little over an eighth of an inch) are of a
pale yellow, with a strong apricot tinge towards the poinl, edged on the lower portion with a narrow
though clearly defined black line, the nail showing a dull yellow lint. Though the coloured plates in
two or three of the most trustworthy ornithological works give a strongly-marked black hue down each
side of the white patch on the centre of the upper mandible, I have never observed Ibis mark on fresh,
killed specimens obtained either in spring, summer, or winter; possibly it does not make its appearance
till shortly after death*. Iris silvery white. Legs and toes cherry-colour, Inner side of legs orange, webs
black; joints dusky ; bind toe variegated cherry and black outside, inside an orange tinge. Tin' colours
of the soft parts of an immature male obtained off Shoreham in December 1S7'.) were as follows:—
Upper mandible a dark brown with lightish spots nt sides, lower a dull pale brown. Iris dark haseb
Legs and toes a didl copper-colour, webs dark brown.
Though unable to state froui personal observation that this species rears its young within the limits
of the Itriti-h Islands, I have little doubt that Velvet Scoters, in former years, regularly nested in two, if
not three, of the northern counties of the II ighlauds ; whether they still continue to do so, I can, however,
offer no opinion. While collecting in the north in ISO!), I learned from a forester, whose knowledge of
the habits of the birds frequenting his native district was unquestionable, thai the large Scotert bred on
the moors surrounding a number of small lochs in an open part of the country. IIy time being fully
occupied in procuring specimens of several species whose whereabouts had been previously ascertained, I
sent one of my men, who was also well acquainted with this Scoter, to visit the locality in company
with the Highlander, in order lo make sure no mistake had occurred. On their return I learned that
a pair or two of buds had been observed, and a female identified on rising from her eggs. As arrangements
had lwcn made to leave on the following day for a drive of nearly one hundred miles, it was too
late to put off our journey to visit the spot. Since that date I have not had another opportunity of
exploring the district, though in a still more desolate and remote corner of the Highlands I watched a
female flying over the moors, near a small swampy loch, one night in the summer of 187« ; it is, however,
quite probable that on some future occasion a downy brood of Velvet Scoters may he met with in one
or other of the northern counties of the Highlands.
• A -ki i' h I made of 0V head nf the ionic described slew (>hnt April 11th. lsum, token la-|*li1i|] sfkw I** Hal vat lifted in to I lie punt,
corresponded prrnvlv eat that uf the male fis-uml in ilr. tiould's carefully raeiitrd piste of this species, nilh the BBtftiM of the ihllUM of tasa
black line, and the fact that the mil extended •onirwhit moie ptonunrnilv bemud the [mini of the beck. If 1 remember right)) {though no
t The male, u> my informant described, much resembling a Illaoieocs nli.u on mug.