BIRDS OF' MARSHALL COUNTY 137 



9. Lophodytes cucuUatus. Hooded Merganser. A tolerably 

 conimoii migTaiit from ^larcli 27 to April 24 and October 17 to 

 November 15. It was usually found, on the sluggish bayous 

 of Iowa river and never appeared in great numbers. On April 

 4, 1913, Mr. R. Clay sent the writer a beautiful male to be 

 mounted. On April 10, 1913, a male was secured by Mr. Friese 

 and sent to the writer. Both of these specimens were taken on 

 the Goose ponds. Three fall specimens were secured. Harold 

 Buehwald brought one on October 29, 1913, and Mr. Friese two 

 on October 27, 1914. 



The hooded merganser was also a rare summer resident, three 

 being tiushed from a small pond ou June 7, 1913. 



10. Anas plotijrJiynchos. Mallard. An abundant spring and 

 fall migrant from February 22 to ]\Iay 11 and August 22 to 

 December 13. In 1914 numbers of ducks remained until the 

 second week in May and some mallards were in this flock. In 

 1913 and 1914 the first ducks of this species were noted on March 

 11 and 12 respectively. In 1915 the ice went out of the river 

 Febniary 12 and the first mallards were seen February 22. This 

 species was usually the second duck to arrive in the spring, being 

 preceded only by the pintail. Their favorite feeding grounds 

 in spring were the flooded bottom land corn fields, where they 

 picked up the waste grain. One female taken April 4, 1914, 

 had a large handful of softened corn in the gullet and was 

 barely able to fly. lu the fall the large majority of the migrat- 

 ing birds were seen between October 16 and 27. The earliest fall 

 record was a flock of twenty noted on August 22, 1913, and the 

 latest, a single pair which remained about a little spring on the 

 river bank until December 13, 1913. Single birds were taken 

 on March 22 and 31, and April 4, 1914, and March 20, 1915. 



The mallard was also a rare summer resident and proljably 

 bred occasionally. The following summer records are at hand : 

 June 7, 1913, a single bird ; May 25, 1914, one female ; June 4. 

 1915, one male; and July 31, 1915, a flock of four on a small 

 pond. Mr. Heniy Friese informed the writer that he had noted 

 these two pair of birds several times during Jul,y. 



11. Chaulelasmvs streperus. Gadwall. In the writer's ex- 

 perience the gadwall was an uncommon migrant and he has oaily 

 the following records of its occurrence. March 25, 1913. one 

 sliot out of a flock of four; and March 29. 1913, a lone femde 



