38 MEMOIRS OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 



beach and sea, they are often to be found feeding in the waterways and on the 

 marsh itself, especially during stormy weather. In the large basin at the mouth 

 of the Essex River and in Plum Island River, Common Terns find favorite feed- 

 ing places, and are frequently to be seen flying about and resting on the numer- 

 ous buoys. They also spread over the marshes, especially at the high, autumn 

 tides. Herring Gulls at times collect in great numbers on the sandflats of the 

 creeks and on the marsh itself. The Great Black-backed Gull also is often to 

 be found there, and, in the migrations, the Bonaparte's Gull, although the latter 

 seems to prefer the beach. 



The three characteristic Ducks of the marshes during the migrations and 

 in winter, are the Black Duck (both the Common and the Red-legged), the 

 American Golden-eye or Whistler, and the Red-breasted Merganser. The loud 

 quack of the Black Ducks is often to be heard as they are feeding in the marshes 

 at night, and their swift-flying forms and breezy wing-strokes are to be seen and 

 heard in the early morning as they repair to the sea for their day's rest. The 

 Golden-eye, on loudly whistling wings, hastens in at sunrise from his night's 

 rest on the ocean to take the place of the Black Duck in the marsh. These 

 two are the Box and Cox of the marshes. On stormy days, however, the Black 

 Ducks prefer the marshes to the sea, and even in pleasant weather there are 

 always a few of these birds to be found in the marshes, generally feeding con- 

 cealed in the small, winding creeks. The Red-breasted Merganser, like the 

 Golden-eye, is a frec[uenter of the creeks by day, but the majority remain out- 

 side on the ocean. Its cousin, the Goosander, being a fresh-water bird, only 

 rarely is found in the salt creeks and the same is true of the Hooded Merganser. 



Of the Rails, the Sora or Carolina Rail is the only one that can be depended 

 upon as a regular visitant to the salt marshes, and then only during the migra- 

 tions. The Yellow and Virginia Rails, as well as the American Coot, prefer, in 

 Essex County at least, to wet their feet in fresh water, although the two last are 

 occasionally found in the salt marshes. 



The Herons are well and conspicuously represented in this region and one 

 of the great pleasures of exploring the winding creeks in sailboat or canoe, is 

 the frequent glimpses of one of these birds. The Great Blue Heron shows 

 to best advantage here, where sense of proportion is lacking in the broad 

 expanse of the marsh. In the spring, and after the first of August, these are 

 common birds in this region, and there is no doubt but that their numbers would 

 increase if the gunner could be purged of the instinct to kill them on sight, 

 either because they are so large, or possibly because of a prejudice inherited 

 from the game-owners and game-keepers of the Old World. The Green and the 

 Night Herons and the Bittern are also to be found in the marshes, the Green 

 Heron being the least common. The Night Heron is seen to best advantage 



