68 JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNlTHOIvOGlCAL SOCIETY. 



Black Ducks, "Lobsters," the natives call them. They were there 

 by the thousands, and appeared to be almost wholly the large red- 

 legged variety. They were splashing and pruning their feathers, 

 rearing themselves on end and flapping their wings and talking as 

 only ducks in convention can talk. These very large flocks do not, 

 as many suppose, form in one large, circular mass, but rather in an 

 irregular line and in no place are more than twenty or twenty-five 

 birds deep, often less. 



It is about impossible to scull such a flock as stray birds are 

 always straggling quite a distance from the main body. Such are 

 invariably very many and rise before the float is within shooting 

 distance. Rise but one bird in such a flock and the whole bunch 

 is sure to go. 



As it became evident the birds did not intend to go to sea, we 

 decided to scull them, not that we expected to get within range, 

 but with the desire for a closer view. We made for about the 

 centre of the long black line and soon were within one hundred and 

 fifty yards and with our glasses had a grand view. We could see 

 a few Mallard drakes scattered here and there, but no other inter- 

 lopers ; everything was Black Ducks. On we sculled and were 

 rapidly reducing the distance when the nearest straggler jumped, 

 then those nearest followed and then the entire flock from end to . 

 end rose into the air with a roar that fairly shook the bay. 



In the air they separated into detached flocks of from twenty to 

 one hundred, and after circling about for five minutes again settled 

 in another section of the bay, but in the open water as before — 

 never in the grass. A second time we sculled them, but with pre- 

 cisely the same result as before. We had refrained from firing our 

 guns all this time, the observations being all too interesting. Fol- 

 lowing our second attempt the birds alighted near the "Chops," 

 again, where doubtless they would have remained some time had not 

 another float put in an appearance whose occupants evidently 

 possessed more enthusiasm than good judgment, for essaying a 

 scull at the end of the flock the ducks of course rose several gun 

 shots away. The grand sight was too much and they blazed 



