2o6 DUTCHKR on the. Labrador Duck. [April 



mouth of the Ipswich River, south end of Pkun Island, Massa- 

 chusetts \\a\. I was paddling in my float or sneak boat, covered 

 with salt liay, when I saw three of these birds, two males and a 

 female, feeding on a slioal spot near a sand-spit. I shot the males, 

 but the female escape. I then. I killed her, however, later in the 

 day, on the same spot. A male and female were given to John 

 Bell, then a taxidermist, on Broadway, New York, and John 

 Akhurst mounted the fine male I gave the Historical Society." 

 — Nicolas Pike. 



Collection of Air. Gordon Plunnner, Boston., Mass. 



$ jHV. '• October, 1S90. I sold my Labrador Duck about one 

 month since to Mr. Gordon Plummer, of Boston, Mass." — 

 He.nuv F. Aten, M. D. 



" I have in my collection one specimen of the Labrador Duck, 

 voung ^ . The onlv data I have are from Dr. Aten. He procured 

 it of John Bell, who niounted it, some fifteen or twenty years 

 since. Bell had it in his possession some years before Dr. Aten 

 got it. It was found in Fulton Market, New York City, by Bell, 

 who secured two at that time, and Dr. Aten thinks Bell found it 

 among a lot of Old Squaws which came from Longlslanil, N. Y. 

 My specimen is in excellent condition and acquiring full plumage, 

 I should judge." — Gordon Plummek.* 



Collection of Vassar College., Ponghkeepsie., N. T. 



$ adult., from the collection of J. P. Giraud, Jr. This sj^ecimen 

 is a finely mounted, full plumaged, male bird. That it is from 

 Long Island, as stated in the Rowley List, there is absolutely no 

 proof, although it is highly probable, as the greater portion of Mr 

 Giraud's life-long ornithological work was done on Long Island. 

 The compiler visited the Vassar collection and through the courtesy 

 and with the aid of Prof. William B. Dwight, examined the whole 

 Giraud collection and all the manuscript and lists connected with 

 it, but could find no data concerning the specimen of the Labra- 

 dor Duck. Professor Dwight subsequently visited Mrs. Giraud, 

 the widow of the donor of the collection, who willingly placed at 

 his disposal all the ornithological papers in her possession that 

 were left at the death of her husband. Unfortunately nothing 

 was found that threw any light on the subject. 



*This is the '* Dr. Aiken " specimen in the Rowley List. 



