14 BIRDS OF CliAUTAUQUA COUNTY. 



Mereca penelope, The Widgeon is not uncommon. 



Querquedula discors, The Blue-winged Teal is quite common. 



Nettion carolinensis, The Green-winged Teal is not uncommon. 



Aix sponsa, The Wood Duck, a .very beautiful bird, is quite com- 

 mon in spring and fall and to some extent throughout the summer. 



Ftdix marila, The Scaup Duck, or Bluebill, is not uncommon. 



F. affinis, The Little Black-head, or Little Bluebill, is not very 

 common. 



Aethyia Americana, The Red-head is common. 



Clangula glancium Americana, The Golden-eye or Whistler, j is 

 common. 



C. Albeola, The Butter-ball, or Buffle head, is common. 



Harelda glaiolis, The Long Tailed Duck, Old Squaw or Cow- 

 een, is not very common. 



Melanetta fusca, The Velvet Scoter, is not very common. 



Erismatura rubida, The Ruddy Duck, is not uncommon 



Mergus merganser Americanus, The Merganser or Shell-drake, is 

 quite common during winter about streams where the current keeps 

 the water from freezing. 



Sophodytes cucidlatus, The Hooded Merganser, is common. 



Laurinus marinus, The Great Black-backed Gull, is rare. I 

 have seen it only on Lake Erie. 



L. argantatus, The Herring Gull, is not uncommon. 



L. Philadelphia, The Bonaparte's Gull, is the smallest and most 

 common gull. 



Podilymbus podiceps, The Thick-billed Grebe, or dipper, is com- 

 mon. 



Colymbus torquatus, The Loon, is not very common. 



With the encroachments of civilizations upon the forests, doubt- 

 less some species of birds have diminished in numbers, and some 

 disappeared altogether, while many others have increased in abund- 

 ance. This is a very interesting subject for investigation, but owing 

 to the want of an accurate knowledge of the birds by the average ob- 

 server, the same with the early settlers as at the present day it is 

 difficult, in many cases, to obtain reliable data. An acquaintance ' 

 with the influences which govern the distribution of the birds is, 

 perhaps, more useful in solving these problems. 



However, I am reliably informed that the Quail, (Ortyx Virgin- 

 anus,} was formerly to be found in this county and was not entirely 

 extinct until a quite recent date. The wild Field Turkey, (Meleagris 

 gallopavo Americana,) was also occasionally met with by the early in- 

 habitants, but I am inclined to think was never very common. 



