90 NATURAL HISTORY OF ARCTIC AMERICA. 



earlier than the females and young. During the autumn of 1877 we 

 procured about seventy of these birds; but not a single adult male was 

 shot or even seen. They were met with in large flocks at sea off the 

 outer islands on the east coast of HalFs Land; here I also remarked 

 that they seemed to be all males. As soon as there is any open water 

 they are found in spring ; still they were not common at Annanactook 

 till the latter days of May. Eskimos from the south reported them on 

 the floe edge near Niantilic early in May, and I saw a few on an iceberg- 

 near the Middliejuacktwack Islands on the 30th of April. They can 

 stand almost any temperature if they can find open water. I saw one 

 adult male in the tide rifts of the Greater Kingwah in January. The 

 day I saw him it was 50 F. ; but he proved too lively for me. The 

 Eskimo could have procured him on different occasions ; but they had 

 some superstitious notion regarding so unusual an occurrence, and 

 would not kill it. 



In the fall of 1877 I often found broods still unable to fly, though 

 more than three-fourths grown, as late as the middle of October. Small 

 flocks continued about the open tide-holes till November 17. At this - 

 date I killed six young males; the temperature was 7 Fab. They 

 had at this time about fifty miles to the open water. 



Their food in autumn consists almost entirely of mollusks. I have 

 taken shells from the O3sophagus more than two inches in length ; from 

 a single bird I have taken out forty-three shells, varying from one- 

 sixteenth to two inches in length. The adult birds in spring did not 

 seem to be quite so particular; in them I found almost all the common 

 forms of marine invertebrates, and sometimes even a few fish (Liparis, 

 and the young of Coitus scorpius). 



By the first week of .lime they were abundant; enormous flocks would 

 congregate on an ice-field and hold high carnival. I have watched such 

 gatherings with a great deal of interest. When thus assembled, some 

 old veteran would make himself conspicuous, and jabber away at a ter- 

 rible rate, often silencing the greater portion of the rest, who appeared 

 to listen for a short time, when the entire crowd would break out, each 

 one apparently expressing his or her opinion on the subject. There 

 always seemed to be the best of good feeling in those meetings, how- 

 ever, and all points were apparently settled to every one's satisfaction. 

 I have often lain behind a rock on their breeding-islands and watched 

 them for a long time. On one occasion we disturbed a large colony, and 

 the ducks all left the nests. I sent my Eskimos away to another island. 



