1920 J General Notes. Zo9 



that M. penelope comes mostly down the coast from the northeast, per- 

 haps from Greenland, while our M. americana arrives from the West? 

 This would explain the apparent increase of the European bird by con- 

 tinuous increments from some far northeastern breeding ground. 



It is also remarkable that we have never noted a full plumaged male 

 Widgeon, either americana or penelope, at Wenham Lake, whereas at the 

 "Vineyard" full plumaged males are much in evidence as early as mid- 

 October. Probably those individuals occurring east of Boston, at Wen- 

 ham, are young birds of the year which are much more likely to straggle 

 beyond their regular migration route; the normal range of americana 

 reaching only to Martha's Vineyard. 



It may be worth while to note here that the American Widgeon, which 

 is generally considered an irregular and scarce migrant all over Massa- 

 chusetts, is really a very common duck on the south shore of Martha's 

 Vineyard Island, frequenting Squibnocket and Black Point ponds as 

 well as Poucha Pond on Chappaquiddick Isle. 



The first M. americana arrived this year (1919) at Squibnocket on 

 August 31 (six or eight birds). By September 15 there were thirty in 

 the pond and on the 21st about seventy-five. During October the num- 

 bers increased to 1500 or 1800 and at times in November to possibly 2000. 

 They never spend the night in Squibnocket but fly to other and better 

 feeding grounds at dark. This body of Widgeon usually remains, so 

 I am told, until driven out by ice. — J. C. Phillips, Wenham, Mass. 



Whistling Swan (Olor columbianus) in Massachusetts. — On 



November 6, 1919, I saw a flock of seven swans at Squibnocket Pond on 

 Martha's Vineyard Isle, in the town of Chilmark, Mass. They were 

 still in the pond on the following day and residents told me they had 

 already been there several days when I first saw them. They left on 

 November 10 or 11. 



This is the largest flock of Whistling Swans that I recall for Massachu- 

 setts, most of the records having been for single birds. Mr. John E. 

 Thayer received two swans from this same pond in 1906, shot on Novem- 

 ber 28 and 29. Three swans were observed at Squibnocket within the 

 past few years, but I have not the exact date. This pond has a good sup- 

 ply of Widgeon grass and musk grasses, with some wild celery, and could 

 probably furnish good feeding ground for swans. 



So far as I know these seven swans were not persecuted and left for 

 the south in as good condition as when they arrived. The recent marked 

 increase of the Whistling Swan in Currituck Sound, N. C, where it is 

 said to be doing considerable damage to ducking property, may account 

 for its more frequent occurrence in Massachusetts. — J. C. Phillips, 

 Wenham, Mass. 



Habits of the Two Black Ducks, Anas rubripes rubripes and 

 Anas rubripes tristis — This past autumn of 1919, while shooting at 



