Among the Water Fowl 



Terns and Ducks breed. At our first arrival we 

 visited them, and were disappointed not to find any 

 Ducks' nests, although there were scores of Ducks 

 of several kinds, mostly Red-breasted Mergansers, 

 feeding or flying about. We made the trip again 

 on the 29th of June. An easterly storm was raging, 

 and we droves even or eight miles over beach, dunes, 

 and barrens, in an old cart drawn by an ancient 

 white horse. Even in the thickest of winter cloth- 

 ing and overcoats we were shivering. Reaching 

 our destination, we tied the horse to a clump of 

 stunted spruces and waded out to the "Nubbles." 



We had almost 

 reached the first 

 when a Dusky or 

 "Black" Duck 

 flushed from the 

 grass up from the 

 edge, leaving a 

 pretty, downy 

 nest with eight 

 fresh eggs that 

 closely resem- 

 bled the eggs of 

 the Mallard. I was surprised to find fresh eggs of 

 this Duck so late, as, from our first arrival, we had 

 seen broods of young in the ponds, some of them 

 several weeks old. A few feet away, under a little 

 bush, a Merganser had scratched out a hollow, as 

 yet unlined, and had laid the first egg of her litter. 

 Then we waded across to the next islet, and here 

 found what I had hoped for. The fishermen all said 

 that "Bluebills," or Scaups, nested on these and 



208 



'A DUSKY DUCK FLUSHED FROM THE GRASS UP FROM 

 THE EDGE, LEAVING A PRETTY DOWNY NEST WITH 

 EIGHT FRESH EGGS" 



