The Zoologist — Jdly, 1869. 1757 



that any bird when quietly settled on the water, and within twenty 

 yards of you, should escape by diving from the shot of a percussion 

 gun ; but how far more astonishing is it that birds on the wing, and 

 within easy range, should employ the same device, and yet the little 

 " lords" and " ladies" (females) frequently escape by doing so ! The 

 amateur sportsman, unacquainted with this fact, is amazed at his own 

 prowess, when, having shot at eight or ten of these birds on the wing, 

 he sees the whole flock drop apparently " stone dead" into the water ; 

 but his vexation perhaps exceeds his amazement when, in a few 

 seconds, he again sees his little flock of harlequins on wing, and that 

 too just out of range for his second barrel. The harlequin duck is 

 frequently found sitting on rocks many feet above the water, but, from 

 its small size and resemblance to the parti-coloured rocks, is very 

 difficult to see in time to get a shot by stalking. Adult males are 

 generally distinguished as " old lords," and females as "jennies." 



Long-tailed Duck, Harelda glacialis [Linn.) — This handsome 

 species is very common all along the coast in fall and spring, — in fact, 

 as long as there is any open water throughout the winter; but I think 

 does not breed anywhere in Newfoundland, although I have an adult 

 male in summer plumage which was shot at Cow Head on the 13th of 

 June, 1868. 



To the naturalist and sportsman there can be few more interest- 

 ing sights than seeing several hundreds of " hounds," as these birds 

 are called by the settlers, in a flock, and hearing their clamorous cry 

 of " Cow-cow-wit," " Cow-cow-wit," which, when borne on the breeze 

 from a distance, has a fancied resemblance to a pack of hounds in full 

 cry, and, however fanciful the comparison, it always proved sufficiently 

 obvious to recall many pleasant reminiscences of bygone days. The 

 longtailed ducks usually frequent shoals and beds of "killup" (kelp) 

 in one to five fathoms of water, but I have seen them diving for food 

 in thirty fathoms of water. Like many other oceanic birds they are 

 expert divers, and it is sometimes almost impossible to kill them when 

 sitting on the water ; and I really think the nearer you are to them 

 the more likely are they to evade the shot, but, of course, everything 

 depends on the day ; if dull and cloudy, or with snow on the ground, 

 they dive at the flash with the rapidity of lightning, while on bright 

 sunny days they are shot as easily as any non-diving birds. On the 

 12lh of October, 1867, I killed two males of this species at a shot. It 

 was a lovely day, frosty in the morning, but the thermometer marked 

 50 degrees Fahr. at noon, and the ducks which were fishing side by 



