Vol. XI 

 1894 



Mackay, Notes on Certain Water Birds. 2 2S 



Mr. Marcus W. Dunham of Tuckernuck Island informed me 

 that on May 2, 1893, he saw a good many Red Phalaropes 

 ( Crymophilus fulicarius) between Muskeget and Tuckernuck 

 Islands. 



There have been a good many of the larger Scaup (Aythya 

 marila ncarctica) living about the waters between Muskeget 

 Island, and Maddeket harbor, which is on the northern side of 

 Nantucket Island. They also frequented the ponds at the west- 

 ern part of the latter island during the winter and spring of 1894, 

 although there have been fewer there than there were last season 

 during the same period. On March 11, 1S94, some four hundred 

 still frequented Maddeket harbor. I shot a male and female A. 

 ajjinis, all I saw, on the 13th. They were in company with A. in. 

 nearclica. There were still thirty of the larger variety in the 

 Hummuck Pond, Nantucket Island, on April 29. They flew 

 out at my approach, mounted to a very high altitude and went 

 towards the west. I did not see them again. 



Although I have shown by these notes that there have been 

 very large bodies of wild fowl concentrated in restricted localities, 

 I would add that I have rarely observed fewer in the localities 

 they have heretofore been accustomed to haunt. I account for it 

 by the scarcity in these localities of the shell-fish food, which they 

 consume in enormous quantities. 



I saw about twenty-five Red-breasted Mergansers {Merganser 

 serrator) at Muskeget Island March 15, 1894. The height of 

 their abundance in these waters is from April 1 to 10. Those 

 birds which winter further south first make their appearance, a 

 few, about the first of March ; they are about all gone by the 

 first week in May. 



Six Sanderlings ( Calidris arenaria) have been living in the 

 vicinity of Muskeget Island, Mass., during the past winter. 



Nantucket, winter of 1S93-94. There have been about one 

 thousand Scoters living in the upper harbor, coming in from the 

 Sound in the morning to feed, and flying out again in the after- 

 noon to roost. There have also been about one hundred and 

 fifty Brant living in the harbor this spring. On May 1 there were 

 about thirty Brant in Muskeget waters. 



Mr. Marcus W. Dunham of Tuckernuck informs me that on 

 May 2, 1893, he saw a flock of fifteen ( Charadrius squatarola) , 

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