ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BT^LLETIX 



867 



AMERICAN SCAUP DUCKS 

 Male in the lead, mo females lollouing 



Oil February 18. Mr. C. F. Stone and myself 

 once more observed the ducks closely, when 

 some of them appeared to be weak. We went 

 out to examine those that were on the ice. and 

 picked up a male scaup that was unable to Hy. 

 \Vhen we got back to the channel we found a 

 dead male canvas-back floating there, and fished 

 it out. It was very thin and had evidently died 

 of starvation. Mr. Stone took the captive scaup 

 home and fed it with minnows and scraps of 

 beef, which it took from the hand, and was so 

 eager that it would ))eck at his finger or coat 

 sleeve. This bird died after he had it about a 

 week. 



On the morning of February 1 9. Prank \'erder 

 put a lot of wheat into the water and picked 

 up a dead male canvas-back and a dead male 

 scaup. I threw a lot of cho)3])ed cabbage into 

 the water, and I think that the ducks ate some 

 of it, and cleaned uj) all of the wheat as well. 

 I picked up a male canvas-back that was out 

 on the ice unable to fly. and found a dead female 

 golden-eye on the ice that had a hole pecked in 

 the abdomen, doubtless the work of a herring 

 gull. 



February -- was extremely cold, with very 

 liigh winds, and altogether it was one of the 

 roughest days which I can remember. The fol- 

 lowing day was brigiit with no wind. There was 

 not one-half as many ducks in the channel as 

 before, and very few were canvas-backs. I 

 think that they must have arisen during the 

 wind storm, and were blown over to Seneca 

 Lake, where there was more open water. Two 

 male canvas-backs that had been picked up on 

 the ice in the inlet, unable to fly. were brought 

 to me. 



On February St I found only ten canvas- 

 backs, thirty-six black ducks, about thirty Ameri- 

 can golden-eyes and American scaup, and one 



AMERICAN SCAUP DUCKS 

 .Male and Female 



i)utterball. On February '2.) the butterball. two 

 males and a female canvas-back, nine golden- 

 eyes and a few scaups were out in the lake on 

 the ice. and a dead black duck and a dead scaup 

 were floating on the water. 



On ^larch 3 only a female scaup and the 

 butterball were left. A dead canvas-back lay 

 at the edge of the ice. and in the middle of the 

 lake a gull was busily feeding on a dead golden- 

 eye. 



On ^Larch 10 the little butterball was the 

 only bird left of the original flock, and it ap- 

 peared to be well and strong. More ice had 

 formed, leaving but a small space of open water, 

 in which floated the butterball and a Holboell's 

 grebe. When I approached, the butterball rose 

 and was on the wing for at least ten minutes. It 

 must have been able to catch iiiauy minnows here, 

 because it had endured the long cold spell very 

 well. 



About two hundred black ducks were in the 

 channel every morning after ^larch 10, working 

 u|) the inlet during the day where there was 

 considerable open water. Xo canvas-backs or 

 scaups were seen after Marcli 3. and no golden- 

 eyes after February '24. On March 17 the ice 

 began to break up in the inlet, and then hooded 

 mergansers, mallard and black ducks were seen. 

 The butterball and Holboell's grebe were still 

 in the channel on March 15. 



Rearranging the Bears. — The polar bear pre- 

 sented by Mr. Rainey. and temporarily occupy- 

 ing an outside cage of the Lion House, has been 

 removed to Silver King's old quarters. Some of 

 our visitors declare this bear to be a finer speci- 

 men than Silver King. She does not weigh as 

 much, but her pelage is so very thick and white 

 that she seems larger by comparison. The 

 animal will undoubtedly enjoy the ))ool in her 

 new quarters. 



