^°'i9if ^^] Cahn, The Freezing of Cayuga Lake. 439 



with ducks; flock followed flock, in one continuous stream, all 

 flying southward. I am told by Mr. Vann that even more went 

 by on the 11th than on the 12th. By the morning of the 13th the 

 southerly migration had almost ceased, but there were great 

 numbers at rest upon the ice, and from this time on dead birds 

 were found regularly. Large numbers of ducks sought the open, 

 flowing spots of Fall Creek and the Inlet. While there was a 

 little open water here, there was no food, and the majority very 

 soon left. At Ludlowville, about seven miles down the eastern 

 shore, there was a single spot where a spring fed into the lake, 

 forming an open area about thirty yards square, which soon became 

 the rendezvous of all the ducks within a radius of many miles. 



Here, a successful attempt was made to feed them. A week 

 after the freezing over of the lake, this pool was black with ducks; 

 so great had their numbers become that free movement was out 

 of the question. It seemed as if there was not room for another 

 individual. Gradually, however, this crowd decreased, the 

 stronger ones leaving for the south continually. From February 23 

 to March 3, there were not more than three hundred there. Five 

 species were represented in this flock: Bluebill, Canvas-back, 

 Golden-eye, Black Duck and Buffle-head. The Black Ducks were 

 the most wary — the Canvas-backs the least so. It was a rare 

 sensation indeed to be surrounded by flying hundreds of wild ducks, 

 wheeling and flapping within fifty feet of one's head. 



In the following paragraphs will be discussed the various species 

 of water birds found from February 10 to March 3, within the area 

 between Ludlowville and Ithaca, including the conditions in which 

 the birds were found, the numbers of dead recorded, and any other 

 points observed which may prove of value. 



The author gratefully acknowledges the notes and assistance of 

 Professor H. D. Reed, Dr. A. H. Wright, Mr. L. A. Fuertes and 

 Mr. John Vann, as well as the hearty co-operation of Mr. H. H. 

 Knight, with whom many of the accompanj^ing photographs were 

 taken. 



1. Colymbus holboelli. Holboell's Grebe. — The freezing of 

 Cayuga Lake offered a rare opportunity for a study of this most interesting 

 and apparently httle known bird. Until the present time, the Holboell's 

 Grebe has been considered only a rare visitant at the southern end of the 



