318 BAY, SEA OR DIVING DUCKS 



there appeared to be no diminution in the numbers of birds coming out 

 of the north. . . . The migration moved on without interruption from 

 daybreak, which at this time of the year [August] takes place between 3 

 and 4 in the morning, until the sun sets, about 9 p.m. The flight of one 

 of these migrating flocks seems slow, probably on account of the wavy 

 motion of the line of birds, but when they finally sweep past it is seen 

 that they are really flying swiftly, and there is a roar of wings audible 

 for a long distance." From notes by Mr. Hersey, quoted by Bent (1925). 

 On the southern coasts of New England and around Long Island 

 the King Eider is an irregular winter visitor, but during some seasons it 

 is quite common. Bent (1925) says: "To visit the winter haunts of the 

 King Eider on the New England coasts, one must be prepared to brave 

 the rigors of the cold, rough sea in the most exposed places; for these 

 hardy birds do not come until wintry conditions have made offshore 

 boating far from comfortable, and they prefer to frequent the outer 

 ledges which at that season are almost always unapproachable. I can well 

 remember a December morning on the coast of Maine, the first chance 

 after a week of waiting for a day smooth enough to reach the outer 

 islands, when we started long before daylight for a little eider duck 

 shooting. Fifteen miles or more we had to go in our little launch to 

 reach the ledges where we were to shoot. . . . As we approached Spirit 

 Ledge, where we intended to do our shooting, all hope of landing was 

 dispelled, for the waves were breaking over it with clouds of spray and 

 all around it the submerged ledges were white with combing breakers. 

 It was no place for us, this wild scene of ocean fury, but for the birds it 

 held no terrors. There, just beyond our reach, were hundreds of Ameri- 

 can Eiders, Surf and White-winged Scoters, flocks of Old-squaws, and a 

 few of the black-backed King Eiders. ... It was a wild and attractive 

 scene, but we could only view it from a distance, and we were finally 

 obliged to retire to a more sheltered ledge where we succeeded in land- 

 ing and setting out our decoys in the lee. . . . Off around the outer 

 ledges we could still see the flocks of eiders feeding in the surf, riding at 

 ease among the angry waves, paddling backwards or forwards to avoid 

 the breaking crests, or diving under a combing breaker." 



The courtship of the King Eider is described as follows by Brooks 

 (1915). He was approaching a small lagoon when he heard a peculiar 

 noise which same in a series of three, urrr-urrr-URRR. On arriving at 

 the lagoon he saw a small flock of King Eiders, three females and five 

 males. "They were on the beach, and three males were squatted in a 

 triangle about a female, each about a yard from her. They did much 

 neck stretching, as many male ducks do in the spring, and frequently 

 bowed the head forward. The males constantly uttered the above drum- 

 ming note. During this time the female was very indifferent to the atten- 

 tions of her suitors, doing nothing more than occasionally extending her 

 head toward one of them. After a brief period of these tactics, one or 

 more of the males would enter the water and bathe vigorously, with 

 much bowing of heads and stretching of necks, to return to the beach 



