° 'l9io J Wright, Rare Wild Ducks Wintering at Boston, Mass. 395 



of the pond with ice, December 27 being the last day that they were 

 seen together on this pond. On December 28 and 30, two drakes 

 still remained on the pond, but one drake and the duck had gone 

 to Chestnut Hill Reservoir. December 31, all four were on the 

 reservoir and continued there, as far as we know, to January 5. 

 On that day. Miss Bertha Langmaid informs me, all four were seen 

 by her on Leverett Pond. Here they have remained, with the 

 exception that on January 17 there was a scattering of all these 

 wild ducks for some reason and one Baldpate was seen by me on 

 the reservoir, the duck on Leverett Pond, and, I am informed, 

 two drakes were seen on the small Willow Pond next southward 

 in the park. These birds are finely plumaged, the drakes show- 

 ing their characteristic colorings very beautifully. The duck is 

 somewhat smaller than they, and she is more nimble when bread is 

 thrown to the combined flock, although all the four Baldpates 

 readily swim near shore, showing little fear, while they manifest 

 a degree of wariness. 



The previous season, 1908-9, a Baldpate drake wintered on 

 Jamaica and Leverett ponds. He was first observed on Jamaica 

 Pond, December 15, and remained there up to nearly the end of 

 January, when after a few days' stay at the reservoir he came to 

 Leverett Pond. Here he continued up to April 5, being last seen 

 by Mr. James L. Peters. He was joined by a Pintail drake {Dafila 

 acuta) on February 22, which continued on the pond for a month 

 and was last seen on March 21. This Pintail drake was joined 

 by a female on March 12, which stayed beyond the departure of 

 the drake and was last seen on March 28. 



Redhead. — I had observed no Redhead on Jamaica Pond the 

 present season until December 27. On that day a female was 

 seen swimming about closely with the Canvas-back drake. It 

 was plainly identified as a Redhead, as it was afterward on Leverett 

 Pond by several fellow members of the Nuttall Club. It was 

 again seen by me on the following day. But in the disturbance, 

 attending the gathering in of the park flock for housing on Decem- 

 ber 30, this Redhead was lost sight of in my visit on that day and 

 was not traced for the two intervening days to January 2, when 

 she was seen on Leverett Pond by local observers. So far as known, 

 she has daily continued there with two or three exceptions when 



