• S92-] Mack AY on the Oldsquaxo. 33 I 



It is the current belief that these birds, as also the Scoters, Eiders, 

 and other similar diving birds, can escape a charge of shot fired 

 at them by diving before it reaches them ; this is only partially 

 true, and applies only to distances over twenty yards- I have 

 never yet seen one quick enough to get under water at that dis- 

 tance or less without getting hit, even if the bird w'as on the alert. 

 I have reached this conclusion after a long experience in capturing 

 wounded birds. 



In the autumn Oldsquaws appear about the middle of October, 

 and occasionally a little earlier ; but generally it is not until there 

 has been a hard frost that they appear in numbers. The first 

 arrivals as a rule are gentle and tame, and easily approached. I 

 think these birds migrate mostly by night, as I have not heard of 

 many such flocks being seen in the daytime. I personally have 

 noticed only an occasional one. At such times they were flying 

 very high, the flocks numbering about seventy-five to one hun- 

 dred birds. On i-eaching a locality where they desire to 

 remain, they circle around three or four times before alighting, 

 after which they remain together for an hour or so, and then break 

 up into groups of a dozen or more. These Ducks have a habit 

 of towering both in the spring and in the autumn, usually in the 

 afternoon, collecting in mild weather in large flocks if undisturbed, 

 and going up. in circles so high as to be scarcely discernible, often 

 coming down with a rush and great velocity, a portion of the 

 flock scattering and coming down in a zigzag course similar to 

 the Scoters when whistled down. The noise of their wings can 

 be heard for a great distance under such conditions. In one such 

 instance at Ipswich Bay, Mass., a flock of several hundred went 

 up twice within an hour. A somewhat similar occurrence took 

 place at Wood Island, near Saco Beach, Maine. Also at Scar- 

 borough, Maine, on May i a flock of several hundred birds went 

 up in circles out of sight in this manner at ir a.m., and remained 

 away until afternoon when they returned to the same locality in 

 the neighborhood of the beach, coming with a perfect rush. All 

 of the above places used to be favorite resorts of these birds, as 

 was Coccles Harbor, Shelter Island, Long Island, N. Y. An- 

 other resort is near Long Beach Point, Orient, Long Island, 

 N. Y. At Biddeford, Maine, where they are abundant in May, 

 certain tides carry them during the night to the westward near 

 Old Orchard. This necessitates their flying back the next morn- 



