little attention to me as long as I kept per- 

 fectly still. For they are much tamer than 

 other wild ducks, and are, unfortunately, 

 slow to believe that man is their enemy. 



I noticed another curious thing while 

 watching them and hoping that by some 

 chance I might see one caught by a mussel. 

 When a flock was passing high overhead, any 

 sudden noise a shout, or the near report of 

 a gun would make the whole flock swoop 

 down like a flash close to the water. Plover 

 have the same habit when they first arrive 

 from Labrador, but I have hunted in vain for 

 any satisfactory explanation of the thing. 



As the birds feed a mussel will sometimes 

 close his shells hard on some careless duck's 

 tongue or bill in such a way that he cannot 

 be crushed or swallowed or broken against 

 the rocks. In that case the bird, if he knows 

 the secret, will fly to fresh water and drown 

 his tormentor. Whether all the ducks have 

 this wisdom, or whether it is confined to a 

 few rare birds, there is no present means of 

 knowing. I have seen three different eiders 

 practice this bit of surgery myself, and have 



