THE LONG-TAILED DUCKS. 2t, 



Habits. — In the arclic habitat, which this Duck affects dur- 

 ing the summer, it is a common bird, and it never appears 

 to wander very far south, some individuals even wintering in 

 the north. It is less gregarious than some of the arctic 

 Ducks, and is an extremely good diver. After the young are 

 hatched about the end of June, they frequent ponds and 

 marshy lakes, but as autumn approaches they seek the small 

 bays and creeks along the coast. 



Mr. E. W. Nelson gives the following note on the species in 

 his " Report on Natural History Collections from Alaska " : — • 

 " During all the spring-season, until the young begin to hatch, 

 the males have a rich musical note, imperfectly represented 

 by the syllables "a-leedle-a, a-leedle-a," frequently repeated in 

 deep, reed-like tones. Amid the general hoarse chorus of 

 water-fowl at this season, the notes of the Old Squaw are so 

 harmonious tliat the fur-traders of the Upper Yukon have 

 christened it the "Organ Duck" — a well-merited name. I 

 have frequently stopped and listened with deep pleasure to 

 these harmonious tones, while traversing the broad marshes in 

 the dim twilight at midnight, and while passing a lonely month 

 on the dreary banks of the Yukon delta, I have lain in my 

 blankets many hours at night and listened to these rhythmi- 

 cal sounds, which, with a few exceptions, were the only ones 

 to break the silence. These notes are somewhat less common 

 during the day. The male is often seen swimming rapidly 

 about the female, his long tail-feathers raised to an angle of 

 about 75 degrees, and vibrating rapidly from side to side as he 

 passes before his mate, uttering the love-note at short intervals. 

 If he becomes too pressing in his suit, the female suddenly 

 dives and is instantly followed by her partner, and then a 

 moment later they appear and take wing, and a playful chase 

 ensues, the two diving at full speed and flying above or below 

 in rapid succession, until they are tired. It is a common 

 thing for two or three males to join in this " follow-my-leader " 

 kind of game after the female, and in the end the latter usually 

 flies to some secluded pool with her choice, whilst the discom- 

 fited suitors move off in search of some easier prize. Several 

 males continue to utter their musical notes whilst chasing a 

 female, and make a very pretty chorus." 



Ne§t. — According to Mr. Nelson, an unusual amount of dry 



