HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA. 



371 



frail but, to them, productive dominion of the sea to 

 the land or its more peaceful waters. So strong is 

 the predilection of this species for its frigid natal 

 climes and their icy barriers,* that it is seen to linger 

 in the north as long as the existence of any open 

 water can be ascertained ; when the critical moment 

 of departure, at length approaches, common wants 

 and general feeling begin so far to prevail as to unite 

 the scattered families into numerous flocks. They 

 now proceed towards the south, and making a halt on 

 the shores and inland lakes round Hudson Bay, 

 remain until again reluctantly driven towards milder 

 climes. They are the last birds of passage that take 

 leave of the fur countries. Familiar with cold, and 

 only driven to migrate for food, in the latter end of 

 August, when already a thin crust of ice is seen 

 forming in the night over the still surface of the 

 Arctic Sea, the female Harelda is observed ingeni 

 ously breaking a way with her wings for the egress 

 of her young brood. 



According to the state of the weather we conse 

 quently observe the variable arrival of these birds. 

 In October they generally pay us a visit, the old al 

 ready clad in the more dazzling garb of winter. The 

 young sometimes seek out the shelter of the fresh 

 water ponds, but the old keep out at sea. No place 

 in the Union so abounds with these gabblers as the 

 Bay of Chesapeake. They are lively, restless and 

 gregarious in all their movements, and fly, dive, and 

 swim with unrivalled dexterity ; and subsist chiefly 

 upon small shell-fish, and marine plants, particularly 

 the zostera or grass-wrack. Late in the evening, or 



Nuttall. 



