Patrolling the Beach, 



The' smooth sheen of the white breast 

 is conspicuous even when the feathers 

 are wet and soiled with sand, and we 

 notice the black cap extending in a line 

 down the back of the long, slender 

 neck, and merging into the dark grayish 

 brown of the back. That long, sharp 

 beak will never more cause consterna- 

 tion among the schools of little fish 

 that throng the coast waters. 



We are less surprised to find that 

 many scoters have been lost in the gale, 

 for such heavy-bodied ducks would be 

 powerless when even the albatross could 

 not cope with the elements. Yonder 

 lies a fine fellow with his duck bill 

 curiously puffed out at the base, and 

 his jet-black plumage relieved by a 

 white wing-patch. He is called the 

 white-winged scoter, and a merry life he 

 has led with his companions, sporting 

 in the surf, swimming, diving or flap- 

 ping away in his clumsy fashion until 

 overtaken by this winter storm. There 

 are two other surf ducks which are 

 58 



