Lll-^E HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN WILD FOWI^, 215 



similar nature is organized by half as many birds remaining; while a third wave, con- 

 taining only a hundred or so of laggards, leaves the harbor destitute of scaupe. 



On the way to their winter homes on the seacoast these ducks often 

 hnger in the lakes until driven out by the ice and often many perish 

 in the freezing lakes. Mr. Alvin K. Cahn (1912) describes such a 

 catastrophe on Cayuga Lake, New York, as follows: 



The largest flock seen was just off Portland Point. This flock was discovered at 

 rest upon the ice, and so close together were they, and so numerous, that the birds 

 gave the appearance of a solid black line, and it was not until one had approached 

 to within 100 yards of them that one could be sure that it was indeed a flock of ducks. 

 The birds were quite indifferent to being approached, and it was not until one was 

 within 200 feet of them that they showed any signs of uneasiness. When within 100 

 feet, they rose slowly and flew some little distance down the lake, where they settled 

 once more into their compact formation. It was not until they rose that one realized 

 that there were easily over 400 ducks in the flock. It was all but impossible for these 

 birds to rise clear of the ice. The indifference shown toward unguarded approach, 

 the reluctance with which they rose, the short distance which they flew, in fact, their 

 every action bespoke exhaustion and weakness. In a small piece of open, rapidly 

 flowing water in Fall Creek, a female of this species was caught by hand without dif- 

 ficulty. The bird, too exhausted even to try to fly, could make no headway against 

 the current, and was therefore easily captured. It was too weak to eat, and died 

 within 24 hours. Two peculiar incidents with regard to bluebills have been brought 

 to my notice. One specimen was found while still alive, in which over half the web- 

 bing of both feet had been frozen and dropped off. Another was found frozen in a cake 

 of ice, nothing but the head and about half the neck protruding from the mass. The 

 duck, still alive, was chopped out, when it was found that the ice had in some way 

 frozen over the duck, leaving water next to the body. This was undoubtedly kept from 

 freezing by the action of the legs and the body heat. The bird was uninjured, and 

 after being fed, seemed little the worse for its experience. 



Large numbers of scaup ducks spend the winter on the New Eng- 

 land coast and they are especially abundant in the Vineyard Sound 

 region, south of Cape Cod, and on the ocean side of Long Island. 

 Here they may be seen in large flocks, sometimes numbering several 

 hundred, riding at ease on the rough or choppy sea. Their move- 

 ments are largely governed by the condition of the mussel beds on 

 which they feed. From Chesapeake Bay to Currituck Sound, North 

 Carolina, they are also abundant and are regarded as one of the 

 desirable species of game birds. On the coast of Louisiana, according 

 to Beyer, Allison, and Kopman (1906), "the occurrence of this spe- 

 cies is confined chiefly to the colder parts of the winter. This species 

 is seldom found away from the coast, and occurs more frequently on 

 the open Gulf waters than any other species." 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Breeding range. — The North American form breeds east to the 

 west coast of Hudson Bay (Churchill), southwestern Ungava (Great 

 Whale River), and casually to the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Magda- 

 15749—23 15 



