A Wild Duck Trap 



413 



until the middle of April, when they were sent to the New York Zoological 

 Park. 



Only 19 Ducks were in the channel February 25: 12 Canvasbacks, 6 

 American Scaups, and the Bufflehead. March 5, the little Bufflehead was the 

 sole survivor from the flock of 500 or more Ducks that were in the channel 

 early in February. Here she stayed on, and on March 10 was flushed from the 

 water and made a sustained flight of five minutes' duration. At this time there 

 was a Holboell's Grebe with her which stayed until the i6th. The Bufflehead 

 was last seen March 17, when the ice began to break up, and, as other Ducks 

 (Mallards, Scaups, Baldpates, Mergansers, and Golden-eyes) were then arriv- 



AMEKICAN SC.-VUP DUCK AND HULiHiLL s GREBE. MARCH ig, igio. THE BACK- 

 GROUND IN THIS AND THE SUCCEEDING PHOTOGRAPH IS SNOW-COVERED ICE 



ing, I have no doubt but that the little Bufflehead fully recovered and joined 

 others of her kind on their northern migration. 



Never, since 1912, have so many Ducks been caught in this trap, but a 

 few do get caught there every winter. Canvasbacks and Scaups are the prin- 

 cipal victims, and sometimes we find dead Golden-eyes and Black Ducks. 

 Gadwalls, Pintails, and Redheads sometimes stop in the channel for a day or 

 two, and sometimes after a severe storm a Holboell's Grebe is found there. 



The first half of March, 1916, was very cold, with high winds and much 

 snow. A HoHkvU's Grebe was brought to me the i6th that was found on the 

 snow in an orchard. I fed it scraps of beef anrl minnows, but it survived only a 

 few days. .Another Grebe was in the channel the 19th. It was very cold, the 

 thermometer registering only a few degrees above zero, and the open area in 



