°ig^'^] General Notes. 213 



Sterna maxima. Royal Tern. — There was but one flock of these on 

 the lake, numbering about fifteen. Thej appeared to feed on the rotting 

 vegetation along the lake shore ; a rather unusual thing for a tern, I 

 should think. 



Pelecanus trachyrhynchus. White Pelican. — These birds have 

 hitherto been one of the commoner birds of Elsinore Lake, but this jear 

 (1902) there has been but one flock of five. It is a fine sight to see a flock 

 of these pelicans rise from the water, with slow beats of their great 

 black-tipped wings. 



Merganser americanus. American Merganser. — I saw but one of 

 these ducks, although they are said to be fairly abundant. It was a 

 drake in full summer plumage and, being quite close, I easily identified 

 him. 



Anas boschas. Mallard Duck. — x\lthough supposedly common, we 

 saw but three or four of these, and attributed their scarcity to the late- 

 ness of the season. 



Anas americana. Widgeon. — Widgeons abounded in all parts of the 

 lake and their shrill yet mellow whistle, sounding like the syllables hue, 

 hue, hue, with a strong accent on the second, was to be heard from every 

 side. 



Nettion carolinensis. Green winged Teal. — This beautiful little 

 duck was common, though scattered over all the shallower parts of the 

 lake. They seemed to spend over half their time on land, sunning them- 

 selves on the flats. 



Spatula clypeata. Shoveller. — These handsome birds were the most 

 in evidence of all the ducks. Their rattling cries w^ere deafening when a 

 flock rose, mingled with the quack of Mallard and Teal, and the whistle 

 of Widgeon. The Shovellers were much tamer than the other species of 

 duck, sometimes allow-ing approach to within twenty or thirty yards. 



Dafila acuta. Pintail. — The Pintails were rather rarer than most of 

 the other ducks. The long, pointed tail of the drake and graceful, swan-like 

 neck of the female, made identification easy. 



Aythya vallisneria. Canvasback. — This was by far the rarest duck 

 on the lake, being only of casual occurrence. I got quite close to an old 

 male of this species, and easily identified him. There are few finer ducks 

 than this, the sportsman's favorite and the epicure's delight. 



Erismatura dominicensis. Ruddy Duck. — This curious little duck, 

 so unlike the other members of the Anatidae, shared, with the Shoveller, 

 the honor of being the most abundant duck on the lake. No doubt there 

 were far more Ruddies than Shovellers, but the small size and diving habits 

 of the former render them inconspicuous. 



Anser albifrons gambelii. American White-fronted Goose. — 

 There was a large flock of these geese on the lake, numbering over a 

 hundred. They made four regular flights daily, never varying more than 

 fifteen minutes. It was a sight worth seeing to witness the long strings 

 of great birds leave the lake and fly to the grain fields, ten miles away. 



