6o MEMOIRS OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB 



along the Athabaska call it ca ca wee' ; the Chipewyans and related tribes of the 

 Slave and Mackenzie rivers refer to it as a-ha-Uk' ; while the Eskimo are said to 

 give it the name a-hait-liu'." The name Hounds, used in Labrador by Cartwright, 

 is also very expressive. Syllables I have written down from time to time are : 

 ung Xing a-iing hie, and a-oit a-ou a-otidlie. When these longer notes are emitted 

 the birds are often bunched together and are undoubtedly courting. Each male 

 carries his long tail erect. 



I have timed the Old-squaw diving at Nahant. The birds were under water 

 from 34 to 39 seconds. In another place where the water was probably deeper, 

 the time under water varied from 40 to 50 seconds. 



66 [155] Histrionicus histrionicus (Linn.). 



Harlequin Duck; Lord and Lady. 

 Very rare winter visitor. November 11, Noveml)er 20. 



The three records for the County have not lieen added to in the last 

 fifteen years. 



I have seen the bird in Labrador and was impressed with the fact that it is 

 a small duck with a small bill. The brown feathers of the flanks are conspicuous 

 as are also the white spots and patches which suggest the clown, — otherwise the 

 bird looks black. The white " false eye " is very noticeable and this with other 

 white patches on the head are good marks in the otherwise dark female. The tail 

 is sometimes cocked up and in diving the bird opens its wings. In flight there 

 are no markings noticeable on the wings. 



[156] Camptorhynchus labradorius (Gmel.). Labrador Duck; Pied Duck. — As a 

 sidelight on the extinction of this species, the following note by EUiott Coues' is of consid- 

 erable interest : " It is known by the peculiar appellation of ' Fool-bird,' a name given on 

 account of its remarkaible unsuspicious nature which renders it easy to approach." 



[159] Somateria mollissima borealis (Brehin). Northern Eider. — There are still no 

 definite records for this species for Essex County. 



67 [160] Somateria mollissima dresseri Sharpe. 



Eider; "Sea Duck"; " Canvasback." 



Uncommon winter visitor. September 20 to April 19. 



The early record of September 20 was made by B. F. Damsell in 1903. 

 The abundance of this bird in former years off Cape Ann is plainly shown in 



1 Coues, Elliott. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Philadelphia, 1861, p. 239. 



