QO General Notes. LJan. 



O. deglandi, O. perspicillata), the American Eider (Somateria dresseri), 

 Double-crested Cormorant {Phalacrocorax dilophus), Canvas-back Duck 

 (Aythya vallisneria), and Loon (Urinator imber), as well as some others, 

 as noticeablv deep swimmers, and not verv buoyant when dead and 

 floating. 



On page 69: "The distance between the coasts of the two countries 

 [Labrador and northern Brazil], amounts to three thousand two hundred 

 geographical miles, and since there is along this whole stretch of route 

 not a single point on which the travellers could alight for rest, they are 

 obliged to perform the whole length of this enormous journey in one 

 uninterrupted flight." After coming down from the shores of the Arctic 

 Ocean and the region above forest growth, their breeding home, the 

 American Golden Plovers (as do also the Eskimo Curlews) collect in the 

 vicinity of Labrador, where they rest a while, becoming very fat. From 

 there they set out on their prolonged southern migration, steering boldly 

 out to sea after leaving Nova Scotia. I believe they can, under favorable 

 conditions, make the entire distance to their objective point, the Argen- 

 tine Republic and Patagonia, in practically one flight, but if during such 

 passage they require rest, they can easily obtain it bv alighting on the 

 ocean. This they do, being good swimmers. Neither are they exceptional 

 in this respect, many others doing the same. As an instance in illustra- 

 tion one of mv shooting acquaintances while Ashing one day about three 

 miles off the coast of Massachusetts observed a flock of a dozen or fifteen 

 Pectoral Sandpipers {Tringa maculata ) passing; on whistling to them 

 they abruptly turned from their course in response to his call, and flying 

 towards his boat, whirled up into the wind and alighted on the ocean. 

 After swimming around a short time they arose without effort, and, each 

 bird giving its feathers a shake, proceeded on their way. 



On page 101, he quotes Palmer, as saying : " Direct observations in nature 

 have yielded the result that among flocks of migrants the older and 

 stronger individuals are in general the leaders of the migratory host"; 

 and adds ; " He [Palmen] could not, however, have begun the treatment 

 of this question with a more unfortunate assertion ; for there is no one 

 who has ever made observations which might support this view." I have 

 made observations for a good many years on the Atlantic coast of 

 North America, and I have particularly noticed many times during the 

 migration northward of the Surf. Scoters (Oidemia fiers_picillata) in 

 April, that many of the larger flocks of fifty to one hundred birds, are led 

 bv a full plumaged adult drake. The white markings on the head and 

 neck, highly colored bill, and glossy black plumage render a mistake in 

 identification unlikely. 



Page 102, he thus formulates his conclusions on this subject : " 1. That 

 under normal conditions in the case of the three hundred and ninety-six 

 species occurring here, with the exception of a single one, the autumn 

 migration is initiated by the young birds, from about six to eight weeks 

 after leaving their nests. 2. That the parents of these young individuals 



