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Now Hampshire coa.stlino was isopods {Tdoteci Jbalticvj) , cimph.ipods {Ampi- 

 thoe rubricata) and rock crab (Cancer irroratus) . 



The black duck is a member of the dabbling or puddle-duck 

 group. These birds feed on material from the bottom by tipping in water 

 usually less than 3 feet deep. Black ducks consume a higher proportion 

 of plant material than do the diving ducks. Martin et al. (1951) re- 

 ported plants comprised 86% of the fall diet and 71% of the winter diet. 

 Black ducks wintering in coastal New England, however, rely more heavily 

 on animal life. Food habit studies conducted in coastal Maine revealed 

 73% of the fall diet and 87% of the winter diet to be animal matter; 

 gastropods and pelecypods were the most important items (Mendall, 1949) . 

 Black ducks wintering on or near the coast of Rhode Island were found to 

 contain 28% animal foods by volume and 58% by occurrence (Cronan and 

 Halla, 1968) . This smaller figure may be due to less harsh conditions, 

 more open fresh water and hence more plant food availability than in 

 Maine. 



The herring gull is classified as an omnivore and scavenger. 

 Food items include small fish, crustaceans, molluscs, insects, and bird 

 eggs as well as garbage (Forbush, 1925; Martin et al . , 1951). 



The various species of sandpipers and plovers found in New 

 Haven Harbor have similar food habits. Almost all food consumed is 

 animal material consisting of insects, crustaceans, molluscs, marine 

 worms and clam worms (Forbush, 1925; Collins, 1959; Martin et al . , 

 1951) . 



Benthic intertidal studies conducted as part of the New 

 Haven Harbor Station Ecological Monitoring Studies (1974c, 1975, 1976, 

 1977) revealed the four most abundant invertebrate species in the 

 intertidal Long Wharf area to be members of the phylum Annelida. Present 

 in much smaller numbers were horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) , 

 soft-shell clams (Mya arenaria) , jingle shells {Genmia gemma) , eastern 

 mud snails {Ilyanassa obsoleta) and unidentified copepods. Fish species 

 collected by seining in shallow waters of New Haven Harbor yielded large 



