524 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



Bacon's published notes on this subject ( OrnifIio/(\i^ist and Ooloi^ist, 

 XVII., 1892, 45) are so interesting that they are here reproduced 

 entire : 



" This bird is in my opinion the most abundant duck in this locality, 

 during migrations generally appearing in immense flocks after a blow. 

 J^ast November [1891] these birds were caught in the herring nets on 

 Lake F>ie by the thousand. At Dunkirk, N. Y., between five and 

 seven thousand were taken at one haul. At this port (Erie) the larg- 

 est haul, to my knowledge, was eight hundred. A very few American 

 Black Scoters were also taken, but no other species. Lake Erie is, to 

 be sure, a shallow lake, but the fishermen informed us that most of 

 the ducks were caught when the nets were set [in] 15 fathoms (90 feet) 

 of water, a few being caught in 18 or 20 fathoms. One captain told 

 me that he caught three ducks of this species in 27 fathoms, and I do 

 not doubt his word. One of our daily papers printed a long article on 

 this subject, claiming that the fishermen set their nets on purpose to 

 catch ducks, but I had amjjle proof that such was not the case, for the 

 ducks were invariably so badly entangled in the nets, as to cause con- 

 siderable trouble in getting them out ; besides, after the first large 

 haul the markets were glutted in all directions, and many were thrown 

 away. 



"This bird is well known to be an expert diver, yet the fact that 

 they can descend to such depths as I have noted seems remarkable to 

 me. Their flesh is very poor, still it seems a pity that they should be 

 slaughtered in this way, and while I do not think they are liable to be 

 exterminated, last fall's catch must have made quite a diminution in 

 their ranks." 



Feeding as they do mainly on the lake, and flying into the bay at 

 dusk to spend the night, they are seldom killed by gunners in any 

 numbers, and, indeed, they are not worth the ammunition, as they are 

 too fishy for table use. The si)ecies is called " Pintail "or " Coween " 

 by the local gunners, and exhibits a great variety of plumages in the 

 transition from the winter to the summer dress, and vice versa. 

 Many individuals attain a practically complete breeding plumage before 

 their de])arture in the spring, which does not finally take place until 

 about the first of June, a few lingering until that date almost every 

 season. The single specimen in Mr. Sennett's collection was taken 

 at the remarkably early fall date of September 13, 1876. On the 

 other hand, they may winter here, occasionally at least. Thus, there 



