SEA DUCKS. 121 



inferior for the pot, they afford capital sport, and they 

 hold out great attractions to collectors of bird skins and 

 plumes, as the plumage of some of them is very fine. In 

 a morning's or evening's flight shooting it is no rare thing 

 for the sportsman to bag six or seven different varieties. 

 They are much less shy than the Anatidte ; indeed, some 

 of them seem to think that when on the wing they are 

 perfectly safe, and fly in a bee line, regardless of shot or 

 anything else. They take straight and strong shooting 

 to bring to bag. 



The Fuligulinse, as a rule, do not leave the salt water. 

 With one or two exceptions they are never found on the 

 lakes and rivers, except after tremendous gales. Among 

 the most common are the Scoter (Oidemia Americana), the 

 velvet duck (Melanetta Velvetina], the whistler (Clangvla 

 Glaucion), this bird, so called from the whistling noise 

 made by the wings, is often seen on the lakes and rivers, 

 and is one of the first of the spring visitors, being occa- 

 sionally seen even in the depths of winter in places where 

 there is open water. The spirit duck (Clangula Albeola) 

 is like the former, only much smaller. The surf duck 

 (Peleonetta Perspicillata), so called, I suppose, because no 

 sea seems too rough for it. The old squaw (Harelda Gla- 

 cialis) is very common on the coast, but when seen in the 

 interior is a sign of tremendous weather. The red head 

 (Aytliya Americana) breeds in some rivers in the north of 

 the province, so does the shell drake (Mergus Americanus), 

 and leads its young brood down to the sea in the fall of 

 the year. The goosander (Mergus Merganser) is a rare 

 Visitor in Lower Canadian waters. I have only shot one 

 of these handsome birds. The red-breasted shell drake 



