either parallel with or at right angles to their course.
At times they "bunched" closely together when we could
distinctly & frequently hear the crowded wings strike one
another making a noise like a paddle dropped
lightly on the water. When they set their wings
and descended towards the Lake they made a
sound like a gale of wind blowing through the
woods or perhaps more like escaping steam. This
was distinctly audible a mile away.
  On the water they frequently executed a sort of
revolving dance, the whole flock swimming rapidly in
a circle, each bird using his paddles so vigorously as
to keep most of his body above the surface. This
performance made a plashing sound like heavy
rain on a still pond. During it they did not
use their wings at all. Occasionally but rarely, a
single bird would rise on end and flap his wings
like a Loon. Almost incessantly one or more birds were
going through a motion which seem to be peculiar
to Scoters if not to the single species O. americana.
This motion is difficult to describe. The bird seems
to raise the entire forward half of his body out of the
water and lengthening his neck stretches it straight
upward presenting nearly the appearance of a bottle
floating with its neck upright. He then shortens his
neck & sinks back into the water. The wings are not
opened. The action takes only a fraction of a second.
  During our pursuit of the Scoters we saw 
a single Phalarope flying about over the
lake but could not mark him down. He
looked like a Southern Phalarope but doubtless
was really a Red Phalarope as it is too late now
for the first-named species.
[margin]Red(?) Phalarope[/margin]