118 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 88 



probability were not so much dependent on the weather as on 

 the migrations of the Scaups, less boreal in habit and the 

 most abundant ducks in this region. They may, however, 

 remain after the Scaups have left for the south, and also 

 leave ahead of the Scaups in the spring, after sojourning with 

 them a day or more, so that the weather plays a role even 

 here, but is not the only factor. 



The ducks in twos or more keep to the lake or more rarely 

 in the harbor, and only the solitary ducks enter the lagoons, 

 and not then except when they occur with the Scaups. In 

 midwinter the lagoons are usually frozen solidly over, but 

 exceptions occur, so that the absence of the flocks from them 

 cannot be always thus explained. 



The birds seem to be growing scarcer every j-ear. The size 

 of the flocks is decreasing rapidly, and single birds are very 

 common. The largest flock noted was eleven in 1912, and the 

 next largest six in 1913. 



SOCIAL LIFE. 



The birds when more than one keep to themselves, but 

 when isolated are (juite likely to be seen with other species, 

 although occasionally utterly alone. If the birds are mated 

 at this season of the year it is hardly possible to pick out the 

 pairs on account of all the birds keeping together. Further- 

 more, even numbers, which might indicate pairs, are not one- 

 half so common as odd numbers, which show, of course, at 

 least one unmated bird. The birds seen in twos are not paired, 

 either, so far as can be ascertained. Single birds have been 

 found associated with the Lesser Scaup and the American 

 Goldeneye, particularly during periods of inactivity, although 

 when feeding they may desert the other species. Quite often 

 the Scaups feed in too shallow water, as along the edges of 

 the lagoons, to suit the tastes of tlie Old-squaw, while the 

 Goldeneyes often feed in water entirely too deep. A bird seen 

 February 17, 1914, with a small flock of American Groldeneyes 

 out in the lake quite a distance from the piers left the flock 

 when it wanted to feed, and came to the piers, where the 

 water was much more shallow, but after its hunger was 



