Ski'tember 1891.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



135 



Suwannee" steaming slowly up the river 

 fiiglitened more than one pretty little pair of 

 ducks from some chunk or log near the river 

 bank. 



When you want something that is really 

 good ju-st get a Wood Dnck and have it nicely 

 cooked; it can't bo beat. Once while camiiing 

 out at Levy Lake I helped eat one which 

 ta,sted better than anything I ever expect to 

 eat again. It was in .July; my partner and I 

 were out looking for "gator" nests. It was 

 about as hot as it often gets, and raining every 

 half hour or so, and the mosquitoes so thick it 

 was im])Ossible to aim without first brushing 

 them olf the gun barrel. Xo one, unless they 

 have "been there" themselves can anything 

 like appreciate our situation; in fact it was in 

 what wi^ call the rainy season. For two days 

 wo had had only jjotatoes and salt pork to cat, 

 it being too rainy for any game to be out, and 

 when on the evening of the second day I 

 brought down a young female Wood Duck from 

 a flock that flew over, I well remember how we 

 stripped it of its feathers, washed it in the 

 water from a horse-track, and sticking a stick 

 through it, without salt, and only ashes and 

 cinders to baste it with, we held it before a 

 little smoky lire until well charred on the out- 

 side and then tearing it limb from limb while 

 the inside was yet raw, and although we had 

 been born in a civilized country (State of 

 Illinois) we devoured it, cracked and sucked 

 the bones and vowed that it could not be beat. 

 You may have your steak and ham and eggs 

 l)ut for us give us Wood Duck. 



F. G. Pearson. 



.\ re her, Fla. 



Ruddy Duck Breeding at Cape Cod. 



In speaking of scientilic ornithology once 

 with a well-known scientist I am now re- 

 minded of his answer and quote it: " We are 

 very much inclined to find fault witli sports- 

 men and gunners who shoot for a living, ' pot 

 hunters.' It is popular, Ijut these same men 

 taught us much, and oruitliology lias secured 

 its most valuable contributions from them." 

 To illustrate: In 1872 the state dyked off an 

 immense salt raarsli in this town as a protec- 

 tion, a case where protection was a benefit, 

 to Provinoetovvn Harbor. In a year or two 

 there resulted ,a lake or pond of two or 

 three thousand acres, in depth not anywhere 

 more than fifteen feet, making one of the 

 grandest resorts for fresh water fowl ever 

 known, as many hunters can attest. Flags and 

 rushes grew profusely around its edges, and 



Rails, Gallinules, Bitterns and Dusky Ducks 

 bred in large numbers. About 1S75 the Ruddy 

 Duck began to breed and has kept it up ever 

 since, although the ornithologists were claiming 

 it to be a fact (I think) chat they did not breed 

 in the United States. 



During the summer of 1890, Mr. G. S. 

 Miller, Jr., secured two young in down and 

 was highly elated, — as he well might be, — 

 learning from a local gunner that they had 

 been breeding here for years. 



The spring of the present year found Mr. 

 Miller, Mr. Wm. Brewster and the writer 

 searching for nests, but none were found. 

 After the former two gentlemen departed I 

 took up the search anew but without success, 

 yet about ten days after they were gone a man 

 told me the "dippers " were out, and I was out 

 after them, but try as I would the little chaps 

 were too secluded for me, and not until last 

 week did I see them, and then they were just 

 able to fly enough to keep out of range of my 

 gun. The same day I also saw four young 

 Dusky Ducks, but never a sign of the old ones 

 while they were breeding. 



I do not know of any good collector who 

 hunted and collected here previous to 1887 

 except the lamented John C. C'ahoon. I wonder 

 how many more places within a few hours of 

 Cambridge can show a like record. 



I mentioned in .\pril number of O. <& O. of 

 taking an adult $ Yellow-crowned Night 

 Heron. About six weeks ago another old bird 

 was seen but not secured. July 18th a young 

 9 was shot and I now have its skin. 



The question which interests me now is, did 

 it hatch here and is this another case of rare 

 birds breeding ? Frederic L. Small. 



Xortll Truro. July 24. 



[We predict that it will be found that these 

 birds have been breeding in this locality. — 

 F. B. ir.] 



Nesting of Some of the White Moun- 

 tain Birds. 



Thinking our friends of the O. & O. would 

 like to hear of the birds of the White Hills, we 

 give a list of a few nests taken this season. 



Blue Bird (S. sialis). May 1st. Set of four 

 eggs. Nest in piazza. 



Broad-winged Hawk {IS. pennsylvanicus), 

 May loth. Set of two eggs, partially incubated, 

 one egg rather round, irregularly blotched 

 over entire surface, with smaller end heavily 

 marked, the other rather long, irregularly 

 blotched over entire surface but rather more 



