202 WATER FOWL. 



settled again some distance away. Later in the season 

 tlie females and young join these gay bachelors, and by 

 the middle of October are met with in small flocks, all 

 along the coasts, where they remain until the ice begins 

 to form and drives them away. In the mating season 

 they -utter a low clear whistle, and will come to a decoy 

 when this note is imitated. In the winter it frequents 

 the sheltered coves and bays in the Aleutian Islands and 

 is very shy and dives and goes a considerable distance 

 under water, when alarmed. 



The Surf Duck appears on our coast in company with 

 the other Coots in October, and is the most numerous of 

 all the species. It remains just outside the line of inner 

 breakers, or between them and the beach, often coming 

 quite close in, and in small companies passes the day in rid- 

 ing the waves and exploring their depths. It often enters 

 the large bays, and occasionally is very abundant on the 

 Chesapeake in the vicinity of Norfolk, and out toward 

 the ocean. The birds are frequently seen dotting the 

 surface of the water in every direction, and when a boat 

 approaches, will wait until it is almost on to them, when 

 they either dive, or rise heavily, flapping the water with 

 both wings and feet until, gaining headway, they fly low 

 for a short distance and drop with a splash into the waves 

 again. All three species of Coots are often seen in such 

 situations, but as a rule each keeps by itself, though occa- 

 sionally, from the rapid approach of some steamer, the 

 members of the flocks, on rising, get mixed together. 

 But they do not remain so long, each species again seek- 

 ing its fellows. As these Ducks are heavy and rise from 

 the water with difficulty, they are always obliged to take 

 wing against the wind, hut if they are so situated that, to 

 do this, they must ti}- toward the object of their -alarm, 

 they always take refuge in diving; frequently passing 



