Bird- Life in Labrador. 75 



distances before appearing at the surface for fresh air. In 

 the open water a flock of old birds, when approached, will 

 separate and swim or fly in different directions, while the 

 young cluster and thus expose themselves directly to the hun- 

 ter's fire. The best way to pursue both young and old birds 

 is to drive them into some angular indenture of the surround- 

 ing islands or land, and then wait for them to appear on the 

 surface of the water after their long dive. The boat, station- 

 ed too far away for them to swim clear of it, the hunter has 

 every chance for bagging his game. I have noticed that 

 wounded birds do not swim far above eighteen inches to two 

 feet below the water ; both bill and head are extended for- 

 ward in a straight line. The old birds will often swim over a 

 quarter of a mile , if not a full half, beneath the water with- 

 out appearing to take air. As far as my experience goes, the 

 birds are rather tame in the Winter season, or at least in the 

 extreme Fall ; they huddle together in close bunches of from 

 fifty to several hundred birds, and I am informed that an old 

 resident once fired into a cluster thus gathered and bagged 

 fifty-nine birds with a single discharge of his gun, a common 

 large-bore fowling piece. Occasionally the old female birds, 

 in full heat, will be shot that have the back and wing coverts 

 edged with deep rusty brown, and often almost brick red ; 

 other birds smaller (young), at the same season of the year, 

 will have the feathers, particularly of the breast, edged with 

 deep gray; young birds generally have the top of the head 

 darker and the head much lighter. In some old birds the 

 whole plumage will be unvaried and of a dark brown color. 

 Large flocks are usually made up of a number of small fam- 

 ily broods of from five to seven birds that unite from some 

 common cause, and then pursue some common flight until 

 scattered from other causes. The usual feeding grounds of 

 the eider duck are shallow waters over a bed of sea weed or 

 mud at some rods from land on its south, southwest, or west 

 side. They feed principally upon mollusks, barnacles, and a 

 variety of marine animals life, with an occasional piece of sea 



