22 BULLETIN 130, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



never found the nest or eggs of this species and am not positive that it breeds 

 on the coast; although it occurs during the summer season, arriving by the 1st 

 of June and remains until early November. During the latter part of its 

 stav it frequents the places of swift tide currents where it dives with wondrous 

 celerity to procure its food from the bottom of soundings. Numbers of these 

 birds were seen in a pocket some 2 miles from the mouth of the Koksoak River 

 and on the left band. This place is locally known as Partridge's fishing place. 

 I was camped there while delayed by stormy weather, and early each morn- 

 ing great numbers of these birds frequented the inner portion of the cove. 

 Strange to say, these birds never made the same noise with their wings when 

 they flew into the cove that they did when they flew out. The tempestuous 

 weather and great distance prevented me from securing any specimens in that 

 locality This was late in September, and tliese birds congregated in large 

 numbers, for some of the flocks certainly contained 200 individuals and were 

 doubtless preparing to journey to the southward. None were seen after the 

 last of September. I observe that these ducks are nocturnal in their habits 

 and e'^peciallv noisv toward the approach of day. They search for fresh feed- 

 ing grounds from daylight to sunrise and appear to be very quiet, unless dis- 

 turbed, during the midday hours. 



Mr. Skinner says, in his notes : 



I usually find these ducks by ones and twos and small groups, but once I 

 found a flock of 85 swimming in a compact group off the shore of Yellowstone 

 Lake. AVhen in pairs, it is the female that takes alarm and flushes first. They 

 take great delight in " shooting the rapids " ; nothing in the Gardiner River, at 

 least, being too rough for them. They drop down over a fall 3 feet high, and 

 at the bottom go out of sight in the foam and spray, but nevertheless keep 

 right on swimming along. Should they tire of this boisterous sport, they are 

 quick to take advantage of any eddy, or rest behind a bowlder. As a rule 

 these are the tamest of our ducks ; on the reservoir and other roadside waters 

 they are unalarmed even while the big autos go thundering past. If I approach 

 a flock too closely, the Barrows swim away, or go coasting down the rapids, 

 instead of flushing as the mallards do. But if they do flush, they go only a 

 little way, come back, and drop down again into the water without hesitation 

 or fear. 



I do not believe the Barrows seek the society of other ducks, but common 

 tastes bring them to many other ducks, mostly deep-water ducks, such as mal- 

 lards, mergansers, buffleheads, ruddy ducks, bluebills, and American golden- 

 eyes. Sometimes the last named and the Barrows are together, but more 

 often the two species keep apart, possibly due to the rivalry of the males. 



Flight is low and labored at first, as they rise against the wind, and they 

 are often compelled to kick the water for tlie first 20 or more wing strokes. 

 I have seen them start and later strike the water again where the average 

 pitch of the rapids was 6 per cent or less. Rising against a strong head wind, 

 they do much better, and then they may fly at a greater height than in calm 

 weather, say of 30 or 40 feet. Once I was passing up a narrow stream with 

 the wind behind me when I found a half dozen Barrows before me. They 

 could not fly up into my face and the canyon was too high and narrow to fly 

 out sideways, so the ducks were obliged to swim down past me and rise behind 

 my back. Apparently they can not jump up as the mallard does so frequently. 

 But once under way, fliglit is swift and powerful, giving rise to a distinct 

 whistling sound. 



These ducks bathe by standing almost erect on the water and rapidly flap- 

 ping their wings so as to throw the water forward and over them ; later by 



