92 



THE OSPREY. 



There have been many instances of a bird 

 blinded b_v .shot, or shocked into craziness, hurl- 

 ing- itself ag-ainst a trunk or limb and fallitig- 

 dead. More than once also blinded birds have 

 been caught in the hug-e masses of Spanish 

 mo.ss which hang- hig-h up. and there died, 

 .securelv held but out of reach". 



'•The most distinctive note of this duck is the 

 whistling s<nind made by its wings, but it has a 

 queer .sort of quack, mild and not far reaching'-, 

 with a fal.setto twang to it. Some men are very 

 successful in imitating it. 



'"The bird is very excellent on the table, being: 

 of proper size for the broiler. Always at this 

 season it is seal fat. the white tissue overlapping 

 its red flesh in layers. Ducks fed upon acorns, 

 or "'mast"', are of as superior flavor as is mast- 

 fed pork. Thej- have a rich, nutty taste, the oil 

 from the acorns and beech nuts appearing- to g:o 

 into their meat. A characteristic of their fat is 

 that not any quantity of it will produce indig-es- 

 tion when it is thoroug^hly cooked". 



What is the bird? I am sure others would be 

 intere.sted to know as well as myself. I should 

 like to see the whole article republished in the 

 OsPKKV even, so as to be preserved in con- 

 venient and permanent form. Will you do so? 

 Yours trulv. 



c. w. c. 



We reprint the extracts suflicient to give the 

 prominent characteristics mentioned by the 

 writer in The Sun. The article, occupying- a 

 column and-a-half of The Sun. is too long- to be 

 republished in full. 



The bird referred to by our correspondent is 

 perhaps — almost probably — the Hooded Mer- 

 ganser. Lophodytcs cucullafus of ornithologists. 

 In this opinion. Mr. Ridgway and Dr. Richmond 

 concur. The name "Squealer" does not appear 

 , to have been recorded previously in connection 

 with this bird. The only duck to which the 

 term has been attributed hitherto is the Harle- 

 quin [Hisfyionicus) which, according to Mr. 

 Gurdon Trumbull, is so designated in some 

 parts of Maine. We are therefore happy to learn 

 that the Hooded Mergan.ser inay be similarly 

 named iti Arkansas. Few of the vernacular 

 names current in the west have been collected. 

 In fact, the only ones known to us are Wood 

 duck and Tree duck current in the Wabash 

 valley. Bec-.scie (Saw bill I about Mobile. Hairy- 

 head and Tadpole in Florida (around St. Aug^us- 

 tine). and Spike-bill in Michigan (near Detroit^ 

 The .synonyms employed in the Atlantic states 

 are numerous. 



The account of the Squealer essentially ac- 

 cords with those given by authors of the Hooded 

 Mergan.ser although the characteristic features 

 are emphasized or perhaps exagg'-erated. Three 

 exceptions should be made. 



The statement of the writer that the "duck 

 will even light in trees occasionally, though it 

 does not nest in them" is remarkable and is the 

 chief reason for the gravest doubt about the 



correctness of our identification. It is just in 

 trees that the Hooded Megan.ser does nest, but 

 by trees we mean those more or less hollowed 

 out. It resembles the true Wood or Summer 

 duck in this respect, and indeed sometimes dis- 

 putes possession of a goodly site with that 

 species. Such an instance was noticed by Mr. 

 George A. Boardman of Calais. Maine. It is to 

 be remarked that although the writer says that 

 "there have been many established instances of 

 its breeding in this part of the state" [about 

 Frostville] and that "it is a fecund duck" no 

 details of its nesting are given. 



The statement that the Squealer feeds on 

 mast is also opposed to what we know of the 

 habits of the Lophodytcs as well of its apparent 

 capacity*. The narrow bill of that bird .seems to 

 be little adapted for seizing or giving passage 

 to acorns. 



Finally the Hooded Merg'-anser has not a hig-h 

 reputation as an edible duck. In the words of 

 Baird. Brewer and Ridgway (Water Birds ii. 123i 

 "its flesh is not held in high esteem" and b^' 

 most persons it is discredited; nevertheless it is 

 quite supposable that one fed on mast might be 

 quite palatable. But does it really- feed on mast? 



In fine, a pronounced topknot is onU- possessed 

 b^- the Hooded Merganser {Lophodytcs) and the 

 Summer or Wood duck \.Aix). Inasmuch as the 

 Wood duck is excluded by special mention the 

 Hooded Merganser alone remains, and the "pro- 

 nounced topknot of black feathers" is charac- 

 teristic of that bird, although even in summer 

 plumage it is relieved by white. W^ill not some 

 "Arkansas traveler" or resident send us a 

 specimen and thus enable us to verify our guess 

 or disprove it. and ascertain what the Squealer 

 really is? We can only say that if it is not the 

 Hooded Merganser, we do not know what it is. 

 It cannot be an undescribed species.- Editors. 



SrXDKV QUESTIONS .\XD .\NS\VERS. 



KiNGSviLLE, Ohio, Jan. 2. 1900. 

 Editors oe the Osprey: 



I herewith enclose a few questions for your 

 consideration, and will be glad if you can answer. 

 Respectfullv. 



J. M. Keck. 



Questions. 



1. For a number of winters I have observed 

 small flocks of gulls of difi'erent species flying 

 westward along the Ohio shore of Lake Erie. 

 I have never seen any moving'- eastward. Res- 

 idents on the lake shore have told me that they 

 have never seen them passing eastward. Can 

 any one explain? 



2. Can any Ohio readers give any authenti- 

 cated instances of wild ducks, aside from the 

 wood duck, breeding in Ohio during the last five 

 years? 



3. In the Ohio Geological Survey, Vol. iv. Dr. 

 Wheaton mentions the Great Grey Owl. Syrnium 

 cincreum. as an "extremely rare winter visitor. " 

 Have any Ospkev readers observed it .south of 

 the lakes"? Can any one give its nesting locality 

 and habits? 



4. Is it true that the Xighthawk has taken to 

 nesting on the flat roofs of tall buildings iti 

 cities? 



