THE WINTER DUCK. 337 



intended excursion, we put our heads to the north-west- 

 ward, and bent our x way homeward, the cold weather 

 suddenly giving way on the noon of the second day ; 

 after which we enjoyed the most delicious Indian-sum- 

 mer weather I have ever witnessed. 



During the whole of our run down the Matchedash, 

 and through the innumerable rice-lakes into which it 

 expands, we had great sport with these same birds, 

 which we killed in very considerable numbers, while 

 daily we could observe them coming in by great flights 

 from the north ; though, on our way up, only three or 

 four days previously, we had not seen a single bird of 

 the kind, though we had shot many scaups, mallard, and 

 dusky-duck ; and not a few buffel-heads, called jby the 

 Indians spirit-ducks, from the rapidity with which they 

 vanish from the eye when diving at the flash. 



The first thing which struck me on examining the 

 specimen shown to me on board the " Mohawk," was 

 the peculiar formation of the head and bill, and the 

 position of the wings and legs ; all indicating it to be of 

 the class fuligulce^ or sea-ducks, and of that coarse, and 

 for the most part uneatable, species, generally known 

 along our sea-board as " Coots" although the true coot 

 is an entirely different species, haunting fresh-water 

 pools, and belonging to the order of grallatores, distin- 

 guished from the ducks by having only semipalmated in 

 lieu of webbed feet. 



The known birds of this genus of fuligulce, or sea- 



