Duck-shooting 



181 



found but once, for they are too fishy for most 

 mankind. 



All winter long the white-winged scoter stays 

 in the open water of Long Island Sound, although 

 most abundant in fall and spring. Many pass 

 farther south, where they frequent the ocean 

 along the coast, keeping out beyond the surf, in 

 heavy weather seeking the shelter of the bays. 



These birds are heavy and must rise from the 

 water against the wind. This fact enables them 

 to be sailed on ; as the craft approaches, the flock 

 becomes uneasy and the ducks raise their necks 

 as if taking a last long breath. Now they rise 

 in a cumbersome way toward the boat and sheer 

 off within easy range. Shooting from sailing 

 vessels and launches is, however, generally prohib- 

 ited. In April vast flocks congregate, preparatory 

 to departure, and by May a few only remain. The 

 breeding-ground is in Labrador and the regions 

 about Hudson Bay, rarely in the northern United 

 States, where it has been found in North Dakota. 

 The nest is near water, always on the ground 

 among the rushes and reeds that line the slough, 

 by which it is well concealed. On the coast, 

 foliage or brush serve this same purpose. The 

 egg is larger than that of any other duck save 

 the eider. 



Many of the white-winged scoters that winter 

 in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, are said to 



