LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN WILD FOWL 117 



for an hour before sunrise we could see small flocks of scoters, darkly 

 painted on the liditeninG: sky. flyin<r from their bedding grounds 

 at sea up into Jericho Bay to feed on the mussel beds in shallow 

 Avater With the coming of the dawn the gulls became active, and 

 and their shadowy forms could be made out against the rosy clouds. 

 The black figure of an occasional cormorant was seen flying high 

 in the air, and scurrying flocks of oldsquaws flew past us at safe 

 distances. We soon realized, as we began to reach the outer islands, 

 that it was none too smooth; a heavy ocean swell was rolling in and 

 breaking on the ledges; and the west wind, coming up with the sun, 

 Avas stirring up a troublesome cross chop. As we approached Spirit 

 Ledge, where we intended to do our shooting, all hope of landing 

 Avas dispelled, for the waves were breaking over it Avith clouds of 

 spray and all around it the submerged ledges were white with comb- 

 ing breakers. It was no place for us, this Avild scene of ocean fury, 

 but for the birds it held no terrors. There, just beyond our reach 

 Avere hundreds of American eiders, surf and white-winged scoters, 

 flocks of oldsquaAA's, and a few of the black-backed king eiders; 

 flocks were going and coming, settling in the Avater among the 

 breakers or circling about the rocks. It was a wild and attractive 

 scene, but we could only vieAV it from a distance, and Ave were finally 

 obliged to retire to a more sheltered ledge where we succeeded in 

 landing and setting out our decoys in the lee. Here only occasional 

 flocks, pairs, or single birds came in to us, as Ave lay concealed among 

 the rocks Avhile our boatman was anchored at a distance. Off around 

 the outer ledges Ave could still see the flocks of eiders feeding in the 

 surf, riding at ease among the angry Avaves, paddling backwards or 

 forAvards to avoid the breaking crests, or diving under a combing 

 breaker. There were both old and young birds in the flocks, but the 

 latter decidedly in the majority; the old birds Avere too shy to come 

 to us, but we secured young males in various stages of jjlumage. 

 Before long it became too rough to stay even here, and our boatman 

 insisted on our leaving before it was too late; as it Avas Ave lost one 

 oar and nearly lost our skiff'; Ave Avere glad to leaAe the sea ducks 

 alone in their glory. 



On the southern coasts of Ncav England and Long Island the 

 king eider is an irregular Avinter visitor, and during some seasons it 

 is quite common. I have a small series of immature males and 

 females taken in midAvinter about Hen and Chickens Reef, partially 

 submerged ledges a fcAv miles off the coast of Westport, Massachu- 

 setts; here these birds are known as "cousins," OAving to their re- 

 semblance to the common eiders, Avhich are knoAvn as " Avamps." On 

 Long Island they are knoAvn as "Isle of Shoal ducks"; William 

 Dutcher (1888) received, in January, 1887, a female king eider from 



