OLD-SQUAW 295 



base of bill black, tip yellow, band of pink between; leg's and 

 feet pale slate. Ad. $ in late spring. — Patch in front of eye 

 gray ; small patch back of eye white ; rest of head, neck, hack, 

 breast, and upper belly sooty black, feathers of the back margined 

 with reddish-brown; lower belly white; tail-feathers and feet as in 

 winter. Ad. 9 if^ winter. — Head, neck, and lower parts mostly 

 white; top of head and sides of neck dusky; upper parts dusky- 

 brown. Ad. <^ in spring. — Similar to 9 ^^^ winter, but sides 

 of head and neck blackish; feathers of the back margined with 

 brown. lyn. in winter. — Either similar to ad. 9 "^ winter, or 

 with head and neck chiefly gravish; sides of head whitish; breast 

 streaked with dusky. 



The Old-squaw is a very common winter visitant on the 

 coast of New York and oSTew England from October to May. 

 It; does not come into the inner harbors as freely as the 

 "Whistler and Buffle-head, but feeds in small or large 

 flocks in the surf close to the outer beaches, or in vast 

 " rafts " over shoals at sea. It rides easily over the great 

 rollers, or dives into and through them. Little companies 

 are constantly moving here and there, flying, after they get 

 under M'ay, with ease and great rapidity. The Old-squaw 

 is noted for its garrulgusness, particularly in spring ; the 

 chattering of a flock is musical, resembling the syllables 

 honk, honk-a-link, lionk-a-link (Sanford). In mild days 

 in spring and fall Old-squaws '' tower," — that is, fly to 

 a great height, and then descend with rushing wings. 



The long tail-feathers of the male are very conspicuous, 

 drooping below him as he lights in the water, or cocked up 

 at an angle as he swims. His white head with the black 

 spot behind the eye sufficiently characterizes the male, even 

 when the long tail-feathers do not show. The females and 

 young have much darker heads, and lack the long tail- 

 feathers of the adult male, but are readily identified by the 

 large amount of whitish about the sides of the head, and 

 generally by the presence in the flock of long-tailed males. 

 (See Mackay, " Auk," vol. ix. pp. 330-337.) 



