Duck-shooting 



161 



from Nova Scotia south to Chesapeake Bay, and occurring in 

 the interior as far as Montreal ; now probably extinct. The 

 Michigan record was a mistake. 



While always a rare bird, previous to 1855 the 

 Labrador duck was taken frequently along the 

 Atlantic Coast as far south as Long Island and 

 New Jersey. It was supposed to breed off the 

 coast of Labrador and in the islands in the Gulf 

 of St. Lawrence. In 1833 John Audubon was 

 shown deserted nests of this bird on the top 

 of low tangled fir-bushes, on a visit to Blace 

 Sablon. That these nests belonged to the Labra- 

 dor duck, however, we may be permitted to doubt. 

 The nest and eggs are unknown, and probably no 

 man except a northern savage has ever seen them. 

 Nearly all the specimens have come from the 

 Nova Scotian, New Brunswick, and New England 

 coasts, although at times the birds were noticed 

 in New York markets, probably from the vicinity 

 of Long Island and New Jersey. These speci- 

 mens were mostly females and young males, the 

 adult male being seldom met with. After 1860 

 the occurrence of the bird became exceedingly 

 rare, and the last one recorded was killed by Mr. 

 Cheney in 1871, near Eastport, Maine, In 1843 

 this bird was rare on Long Island, where it was 

 known as the skunk-duck, from the black and 

 white appearance of the male. The historic pair 

 killed by Daniel Webster, at Vineyard Haven, 



