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Notes on the American Golden-Eye 



The Golden-eye, or Whistler, is one of 

 our most hardy Ducks, living here through- 

 out the winter, sometimes in goodly num- 

 bers, passing most of the time feeding 

 and swimming about the air-holes and 

 sitting along the edges of the ice, where 

 they preen their plumage. They resort to 

 one place at night to roost, that is, if 

 swimming about in the water may be 

 called roosting. The Ducks for several 

 miles around congregate at one air-hole 

 The Whistlers are not alone in roosting 

 here, as they are joined throughout the 

 winter by the American Merganser, and, 

 later, by the Black Duck. When coming 

 in to roost, they fly in low over the 

 water, and against the wind, in flocks of 

 from two to twenty, the time of arrival 

 being from about sundown until dark. 

 When disturbed, they come in later. 

 The Whistler, although capable of seeing 

 well throughout the day, is handicapped 

 by being unable to see well after dark. 

 Rarely in daylight can a man boldly 

 approach within two hundred yards, un- 

 less he resorts to strategy, yet at night, 

 by noiselessly approaching in a boat, 

 one may easily get within twenty-five 

 yards. 



It is interesting to watch this species 

 during the courting season, which begins 

 here in central New Brunswick late in 

 March and continues throughout April. 

 Should one flock, consisting of males, old 

 and young, and females be swimming 

 about, and observe others approaching 

 on wing or on the water, the adult 

 males, which are really beautiful birds, 

 swim out in advance from each flock 

 and, as they advance, will occasionally 

 throw back the head until the crest 

 rests on the back and the bill pointing 

 about straight upward, utter a note 

 sounding like z-z-z-eet. It is a very 

 difficult sound to successfully imitate, 

 but when once heard, and the source 



observed, it is not likely to be soon for- 

 gotten. 



After this introduction, as it were, the 

 members all unite in one flock and pro- 

 ceed to enjoy themselves in Duck fash- 

 ion. The males also perform these antics 

 after they have chosen a mate, and one 

 may frequently see the male, when alone 

 with the female, throw back his head 

 and give vent to his feelings by uttering 

 this pleasant note, which I have only 

 heard in spring-time. 



In May, or early in June, when the 

 female is engaged in incubating her half 

 dozen or more eggs, the male is ever on 

 the lookout for enemies, and is very suc- 

 cessful in alluring man from the vicinity 

 of the nest, which is placed generally in 

 a hollow stump, or, it may be, in an old 

 Crow's nest. 



Right well does the writer remember 

 one day about the last of May, while 

 walking along the tree-grown shore of 

 an island, being accosted by an adult 

 male, which flew near, making a piteous, 

 whining sound, and alighting just about 

 forty yards away, and so long as I fol- 

 lowed in a certain direction all was right, 

 but on returning to the place where he 

 was first seen, he would again return 

 and repeat the performance. After fol- 

 lowing him for some distance, he took 

 to flight and disappeared. 



This species breeds quite abundantly 

 in the northern portion of this province, 

 and the southward flight begins about 

 the first of October. 



The adults molt in July and August, 

 and at this time are often quite unable 

 to fly, owing to the loss of a great num- 

 ber of the flight feathers at one time. 



These Ducks feed by diving and tak- 

 ing their food, which consists chiefly of 

 small molluscs, from the bottoms of rivers 

 and lakes, staying under water, generally, 

 from one-half a minute to one minute 

 and a half. — Willie H. Moore, Scotch 

 Lake, M. B. 



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