64 



THE OOLOGIST 



here 36 to 42 inches thick. Freezing on 

 the coast from Lubec to Eastport, said 

 to be something never before known. 

 And what of the poor ducks on the 

 coast during this great cold. How do 

 they fare when their feeding grounds 

 are frozen over? Again I quote from 

 the Portland Press of this month, Feb. 

 1918. Under the heading "Black 

 Ducks Happy When Ice Breaks Up." 

 A couple of hundred black ducks who 

 have been living on a rigidly restrict- 

 ed Hoover diet for the past six weeks 

 were made happy yesterday when the 

 ice began to break up a trifle in the 

 Back Bay and two or three fair-sized 

 air holes where the birds could dive 

 for feed were created." 



"It is true that a few ducks have 

 perished either from starvation, from 

 intense cold or disease. With their 

 feeding grounds frozen it has been 

 hard for the birds to get anything to 

 eat. Early in the season there were 

 several thousand birds in the Back 

 bay. Most have flown away to better 

 feeding grounds." 



"All the birds that are left pick up 

 a scant living and their breast bones 

 are bare of meat. Game Warden Geo. 

 E. Cushman and W. H. Rich, federal 

 warden, as well as several others have 

 taken out feed daily to the birds. Last 

 week R. E. Bullock, keeper of the 

 game preserve at Prout's Neck, trapp- 

 ed 57 of the ducks in his pheasant 

 traps which he set on the ice. Mr. 

 Bullock had special permission from 

 the Inland Fish and Game Department 

 of the state. He took the birds to his 

 preserve and will keep them for breed- 

 ing purposes until late spring when he 

 will liberate them. Mr. Bullock said 

 many of the birds were enfeebled by 

 heavy colds caught by plunging into 

 the warm stream of water that gushes 

 from under the Burnham & Morrell 

 factory, and then coming out on the 

 ice into the chilly air." 



"A curious fact is brought out rel- 

 ative to the peculiarities of the big 

 flock of Black Ducks which frequent 

 the Back Bay at Portland. The ice 

 covers the bay and the ducks suffer 

 from lack of food. While the vigor- 

 ous birds are able to obtain sustenance 

 on the island shores round Casco Bay 

 the old and very young birds, being 

 less vigorous, succumb to the severe 

 weather and insufficient food." The 

 oddity lies in this, that corn thrown 

 on the ice, by bird-lovers, is un- 

 touched. If, however, it can be thrown 

 into the open water, the ducks will 

 dive for it and flourish." 



** Journal Maine O. S., April 1904. 



fJournal Maine O. S., March 1907. 



Unusual 



On Feb. 22, 1918, I shot a fine speci- 

 men of the Northern Red-wing Black- 

 bird, (Agelaius phoeniceus fatis 

 Ridgw.) in St. Louis Co. The bird 

 is a young male and measures nine 

 inches. The bill is considerably short- 

 er and thicker than Angelaius phoeni- 

 ceus. This bird I believe is considered 

 rare in Missouri although specimens 

 have been reported from Iowa, 

 Illinois and Kentucky. The bird was 

 in a flock of about fifty, most of which 

 appeared to be Agelaius phoeniceus. 

 This is the first record I have of this 

 bird. 



H. S. Ladd, 

 St. Louis, Mo. 



Short Notes 



This issue of the Oologist about de- 

 pletes our copy box so far as short 

 items and news notes are concerned. 

 We have in store some splendid 

 lengthy articles, some accompanied by 

 photographs which are sure a treat for 

 our readers but we hope this fact will 

 not deter them from sending to us as 

 many short, newsy publications as 

 possible. 



