80 BIRDS OF A MARYLAND FARM. 



LOONS. 



The common loon {Gavia rniber) and the red-throated loon {Gavia 

 luinme) hevQ beer noted at Marshall Hall by Mr. William Palmer. 



MURRES. 



The Briinnich murre ( TJria lomvia) has been noted at Marshall Hall 

 by Mr. William Palmer. 



GULLS AND TERNS. 



1 The herring gull {Larus argentatus) and the ring-billed gull [Larus 



delawarensis) occur on the river in the colder half of the year. Dur- 



' ing March and the first half of April it is not uncommon to see from 



a dozen to twent}^ gulls floating between the farm and Mount Vernon 



i (PL XVn, fig. 2), apparentl}^ bus}" fishing. The common tern {Sterna 



j kirimdc) and the black tern {Hydroclielidon nigra surhiaraeiisis) have 



' also been noted at Marshall Hall. 



The following species of water fowl were noted on the river at 

 Marshall Hall: 



Red-breasted merganser [Merganser ser- Redhead {Aytliya americana) . 



rator). Canvasback {Aythya vallisneria), 1. 



Hooded merganser [Lophodytes cucid- Scscwp duck {Aythya marila) . 



latus), 2. Lesser scaup duck {Aythya ajjinis), 1. 



'Mallard {Anas boschas) . Golden-eye [Clangida clangula amen- 

 Black duck {Anas obscura). cana). 



Baldpate {Mareca americana) , 1. Buffle-head {Charitonetta albeola). 



Green-^xiiiged teal {Xettion carolinensis). Old-squaw {Harelda hyemalis). Xoted 

 Blue-winged teal ( Querguedula dlscors) . by Mr. AVilliam Palmer. 



Shoveller {Spatula dypeata) . Canada goose {Branta canadensis). 



Pintail {Dafila acuta) . ' Whistling swan {Olor columbianus), 1. 



Wood duck {Aix sponsa). 



Ducks were so abundant here before the civil war that they were 

 regularly counted on for the larder. As late as 1864 and 1865 it was 

 not uncommon in November to find a flock of 150 scaup ducks in the 

 little bay b}^ the calamus swamp, and in the same place ten j^ears ear- 

 lier as many as 15 canvasbacks were killed at a shot. It is now rare 

 for half a dozen ducks of the commonest species to settle in the bay. 

 Across the river on the Mount Vernon flats (PL XVII, fig. 2), where 

 there is an abundance of wild celery {YalUsneria spiralis), flocks of 

 from 25 to 200 ducks are occasionally seen, but t\\Qj are so contin- 

 uously fusiladed from launches that run down from Washington and 

 Alexandria that the}^ are soon killed or driven awa3^ Much worse 

 slaughter is wrought b}- the ' big ' gun at night or in the early dawn. 

 These 'big' guns are in reality cannon mounted in gunning skiffs. 



