1888
Sept. 30
Lake Umbagog, Maine
A cloudy gloomy day with chilly but light
N. W. wind. At day break Lumen saw two
flocks of Sea Coots descend to the Lake
from the skies. After breakfast we brushed
the boat and Lumen paddled me to with-
in forty yards of the larger flock which
we found composed wholly of adult [male]
Am. Black Scoters. They presented a superb
appearance swimming slowly past our
bows in broad long line about five
or six Ducks abreast. Their yellow bills
were very conspicuous. I shot #4 into
them on the water and B. B. as they rose
Fully 20 birds were left on the water
about 7 dead the others variously woun-
ded. I kept on shooting at the woun-
ded and chased several a mile or
more. We secured in all 14. At 10 A. M.
started for Lakeside. Lunched at foot
of Great ISland. Thence to Sargents
Cove where we found a flock of 8 Surf
Scoters I shot three of them and also
a [female] Am. Scoter also a Red Phalarope
swimming in the Cove. As we were
going from the landing to the hotel
in the twilight we heard and saw
the big flock of Am. Scoters circling
overhead 1000 ft or more high on their
way to the sea The combined clamor
of their cries was exactly like sleigh bells.
(The remarkable shot into the flock of Butter-billed Coots
described above was made with my 12g. Fox gun weighing
only 7 1/2 lbs.)
[margin]Head of Lake[/margin]
[margin]Coot shooting[/margin]
[margin](Copy whole
page)[/margin]
[margin]Butter-bills[/margin]
[margin]I stop 20
coots with
the discharge
of two barrels
& bag 14 of
them.[/margin]
[margin]Surf Scoters[/margin]
[margin]Red Phalarope[/margin]