THE OSPREY. 75 



A peculiar habit they have is when a tiock is smldenly startled while in 

 a air hole, as by the near by discharge of a gun, they do not all rise from the 

 water at once; many of the birds will dive instead and then spring out of the 

 water singly like (juail flushing from the grass. They seem to come to the 

 surface flying as if they had been on the wing below. 



Hunting the (Joldeneye is rather a dangerous pastime on account of the 

 surroundings. 



A boat is out of the question in most cases, as you cannot get it from one 

 air hole to another. Working around the open water on the treacherous ice, 

 particularly if there is a fresh snow, with that swift current underneath is 

 sport that few care to indulge in. The shooting is generally done by the gun- 

 ner from a blind of ice cakes placed near the open water. Some times the 

 hunter takes a sheet, or other similar covering which will conceal him on the 

 snow, and lies down on the ice between two air holes, shooting as the birds 

 pass from one to the other. \\'hen the ice is running heavy is another dan- 

 gerous time. If in a boat the hunter is compelled to watch constantly to pre- 

 vent getting caught between the heavy fields. The wind may change, or 

 freshen, and start a floe that has been held for a long time, and if the hunter 

 is shut off from shore, it requires skillful manoeuvering upon his part to reach 

 a safe place. At times he is compelled to get upon the moving ice or in below 

 an ice pile that is fast to the bottom. 



Upon the whole, hunting Whistlers is not very satisfactory sport here. 



The majority of the Golden-eyes leave here with the melting of the ice 

 and opening of the river above and they are scarce after the middle of March. 

 The 8th of April is the latest I have any record of here. They and the Canada 

 Geese seem to delight in being with the running ice and follow* it. 



The railway and wagon bridge across the Mississippi here, is just at the 

 foot of the Rapids, and has an efi'ect that is peculiar upon the movements of 

 the water birds. Not even the coots or grebes will allow the current to carry 

 them underneath the bridge. They will come only so near, fighting against 

 the stream all they can, finally giving it up and flying away up stream. 



The ducks and geese will not come as far down, but near enough at 

 times that you can distinguish the colors with the naked eye. The Blue-winged 

 Teals {Querquedula <?isciors), and Lesser Scaup {Ay thya ajinis), are the boldest 

 in this respect. 



In their flight it is the same — very few will pass over the bridge, the 

 flocks will make a wide detour at one end or the other, even passing over the 

 city, instead of over the bridge. Occasionally though a single duck, or small 

 flock, will tower to a great height and go over. I think the canvas-back and 

 Red-head are more apt to do this than any other species. 



