THE AMERICAN SCAUP DUCK. 



795 



feeding not only upmi the eel-grass itself, but upon the \"aried forms of life 

 wliicli shelter in its green fastnesses. 



It is not uninteresting t(T watch a small platoon of these somewhat prosaic 

 fowls at supper. They spend as much time as possible below, and when they 

 are well assured of safety they excuse themselves one by one, till not a soul re- 

 mains in sight, not even a lookout. Then one emerges, then another, until the 

 whole c<jmpany is reassemljled to compare notes on their luck, or to disappear 

 again in one, two — thirt_\- order, after their huigs are re-charged with air. 



About half an hour before sunset, as tho by some preconcerted signal, a 

 grand exodus takes place. Flock joins flock as the birds rise steadily against 



^ 



yi^rcoks 



SC.\UP ASLtl:.i'. 



the wind. jNIindful of their former experience, the ducks attain a height (_)f 

 two or three times that at which they entered the harbor and, strong in the 

 added confidence of numbers, the serried host, some forty companies abreast, 

 sweeps over the spit in unison — a beautiful and impressive sight. Some five 

 minutes later a second movement of a similar nature is organized by half as 

 many birds remaining: while a third wave, containing onlv a hintdred or so of 

 laggards, leaves the harbor destitute of Scaups. 



Before the advent of the white man the Indians had methods of their 

 own for obtaining these abundant fowls in wholesale fjuantities. According 

 to Sucklev, long nets were stretched from pole to pole along these narrow 

 sand-spits just before the evening e.xodus, and the birds, ncjt ha\'ing been 



