THE OLD-SQUAW DUCK 



(^Clangula hy emails.') 



The Old-squaw Duck bears a number 

 of popular names. In the New England 

 states it is called Old Injun or Scolder; 

 in Canada Caca-wee ; in Ontario Coween 

 or Cowheen ; in Newfoundland Hound. 

 It is also quite generally known by the 

 names Old Wife, Old Billy, and Old 

 Molly. It is called Ha-ha-we by the In- 

 dians of the Hudson Bay region. Be- 

 cause of its long tail feathers it is com- 

 monly and well . named the Long-tailed 

 Duck. It is also given the name South 

 Southerly because some persons have 

 thought that its notes resembled the 

 words south-south-southerly, but Dr. 

 Brewer could not see this resemblance 

 and thought that the names Old Wife 

 and Old Squaw were much more appro- 

 priate, for when they are assembled in 

 numbers their notes are like a confused 

 gabble. Mr. George H. Mackay has 

 likened its notes to the sound of the fol- 

 lowing syllables, o-onc-o-onc-ough, egh- 

 ough-egh. These Ducks are not only 

 noisy . but their notes are uttered in a 

 somewhat scolding tone. They fly very 

 swiftly and usually near the water. Mr. 

 Mackay says that when shots are fired at 

 them while on the wing, they will occa- 

 sionally dive into the water directly from 

 their flight. He also speaks of their tow- 

 ering habit, saying : ^'Usually in the af- 

 ternoon, collecting in mild weather in 

 large flocks if undisturbed, and going up 

 in circles so high as to be scarcely dis- 

 cernible, often coming down with a rush 

 and great velocity, a portion of the flock 

 scattering and coming down in a zigzag 

 course similar to the scoters when whis- 

 tled down." 



The range of these interesting and 

 handsome ducks is the northern hemi- 

 sphere. They breed only in the far 

 north, and in America they winter as far 

 soutli as the Ohio River, a*nd occasion- 

 ally as far southward as the Gulf of 

 Mexico. Their nests are built of grasses 

 among low bushes or tall grass. They 



are usually lined with down and feathers, 

 and are always on the ground near 

 bodies of water. Dr. William H. Dall 

 in a report on the ''Birds of Alaska" 

 says that Old Squaws are very common 

 on the seacoast of Alaska, but very rare 

 on the Yukon. He also says : "The long 

 tail-feathers when the bird is at rest on 

 the water, stick up at an angle of sixty 

 degrees. Breeds abundantly on every 

 beach, in a very simple nest without any 

 lining." The birds of this species stay 

 as far north during the winter as the 

 ice and snow will allow them to do, and 

 they may often be seen swimming and 

 diving on bodies of water in which there 

 is a quantity of floating ice. 



During their migrations there is no use 

 of hunting them for use as food, for 

 their flesh is very rank and tough. Their 

 feathers, however, are in great demand 

 for making pillows. Their plumage is 

 very thick and fine, and upholsterers will 

 purchase large quantities in fact all that 

 they can obtain each season. 



Their food consists of fish, moUusks, 

 crustaceans, and some water plants. 

 While seeking fish food by diving they 

 have been caught many times in set nets 

 and drowned. Neltje Blanchan has well 

 said that they are "famous divers and 

 swimmers ; strong, swift flyers ; noisy, 

 restless, lively fellows, that live in a state 

 of happy commotion ; gregarious at all 

 seasons, and strongly in evidence wher- 

 ever they find their way." Mr. Dawson 

 in "The Birds of Ohio" has given an ex- 

 cellent idea of their beauty when on the 

 water. He says : "A pair of them seated 

 upon the water are handsome enough to 

 merit the name applied to them by the 

 hunters of the Pacific Coast, 'Lord and 

 Lady.' Their fief is some icy cliff or 

 bleak island in the far north, and they 

 quit home only reluctantly, upon compul- 

 sion of the great white scourge." 



In his "Birds of Alaska," Mr. E. W. 

 Nelson gives some very interesting notes 



