72 THE OSPREY. 



Then as the open water narrows, and limits their feeding ground, they 

 are brought together in great flocks. In the early winter they have an occa- 

 sional Mallard, {Anas bosc has), Teal, {Nettion carolinensis), Hooded Merganser, 

 {Lophodytes ciicuUatus), or Blue-bill, i^Aythya affinis), for company; but after 

 winter sets in, in earnest, only the hardy Canada Geese {Branta canadensis), 

 and a few Gulls {Zarus argentatus smithsonianiis), are left with them. 



An occasional squad of Crows {Corvus americanus) will drop down on 

 the ice around an air-hole, while going to or from their great roost on the 

 Illinois side, but all other land birds seem to shun the ice- covered river. 



The Golden-eyes are very playful, and, as spring approaches, noisy. The 

 swift current is constantly forcing them towards the ice at the lower end of 

 the pool, so that they are obliged to take wing and go to the other end of the 

 air-hole frequently. They rise on rapidly beating wings, the clear whistling 

 ringing across the dark water and white ice-fields, and scurrying up stream 

 in irregular groups, drop in again with a noisy splash. This drifting down, 

 and flying back again, seems to be enjoyed as much by the ducks, as is coast- 

 ing by the children. 



Each group of arrivals is received with many bows, and much flapping of 

 wings by the ones on the water, and the penetrating cry of the drakes "speer" 

 "speer" reaches to a great distance. It is a scene of great activity from 

 daylight until darkness sets in, and makes winter less dreary to the birds of 

 this locality. 



With the mercury at zero, a stiff breeze from the northwest, and the cold 

 sun shining on each duck, showing the conspicuous white marking against the 

 black water, the playing and feeding goes merrily on. 



The bright sun glancing on the white markings make the bird look en- 

 tirely white at a distance, but as the duck changes position, with the dark 

 color towards the sun, it seems to have mysteriously disappeared, as it does 

 not show on the black water. 



In diving it is the same: a bird will go under seeming all white to sud- 

 denly appear at a short distance all black. 



With a large flock in motion on the water, on a sunny day, you have a 

 pleasant sight. 



On stormy days they are rather silent, keeping in more compact flocks, 

 and moving around very little. 



The greatest movements take place about sundown, when they all head 

 for a favorite air-hole, (usually the largest), on whirring wings. Here they 

 settle in with much bustle and confusion, playing and feeding until darkness 

 sets in. They spend a great part of the night on thin, new ice at the edge of 

 the open water. As a rule, unless migration is on, or the ice is running, there 

 is little movement during the night; but frequently you hear the noisy 



