164 GAME BIRDS, WILD-FOWL AND SHORE BIRDS. 



on the Great Lakes, and south casually to Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, 

 Illinois and Louisiana, and on the Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia 

 to North Carolina, rarely to Florida; casual in Bermuda; frequent 

 in Europe. 



History. 



The Surf Duck is possibly the most numerous of all the 

 Bay and Sea Ducks which frequent the New England coast, 

 although the White-wing is a close second. These birds are 

 even more plentiful on the Pacific coast, where until recent 

 years they were rarely hunted. Nelson records a flock near 

 Stewart Island, Alaska, which formed a continuous bed, sit- 

 ting closely on the water all aroimd the outer end of the island 

 for about ten miles in length and from one-half to three- 

 fourths of a mile in width. This was late in the breeding 

 season, and the birds were apparently all males of this species. 

 When they arose from the water the roar of their wings was 

 like that of a mighty cataract. This was a remarkable host 

 of birds, especially as they were all adult males, which, each 

 fall, form a very small minority of the numbers of wild-fowl. 

 Nothing like this is ever seen now on the Atlantic coast of the 

 United States, and probably never will be seen again. Eleven 

 observers in 1908 report an increase of this species in their 

 localities in Massachusetts, while forty-six, mainly gunners of 

 long experience, note a decrease. The few reports of increase 

 come from all the coast counties except Dukes and Nantucket, 

 but those of decrease come from all the shore counties. They 

 cover an average period of nearly thirty years. 



Early in September the adult birds of this species begin 

 to appear in Massachusetts Bay on their southern journey. 

 About the middle of the month the flight increases, and if 

 the weather is favorable a good migration occurs during the 

 latter third of the month. Near the last of the month young 

 birds begin to appear, and large numbers may usually be 

 seen on our coast before October 15. The main flight comes 

 between the 8th and 20th, and they continue to pass on down 

 the coast until near the latter part of December. 



Mackay says that an easterly storm in the middle of 

 August is likely to bring them along, but he has seldom seen 



