V 
/ 
Seeonnett Point, R. I. 
April 16-21, / % J o . 
A pair seen on the I7th, another pair on the 20th, a single 
male on the 21st. All of the three drakes were immature birds 
with only a little white on the neck and shoulders. Both of the 
pairs drew into our Coot decoys, but sheered off at forty or fifty 
yards distance. They flew close to the water, even after being 
fired at. I shot a female on the 20th. She fell wounded and swam 
off with head and neck erect, but when I followed with the boat 
did not attempt to dive. I shot her over to make sure of her. 
She looked large and light colored and sat high in the water. Her 
stomach contained ^‘Wafcfe and the claws of either a crab or a small 
lobster. I had the body roasted without previously parboiling it. 
It was by no means bad although rather tough and somewhat high 
flavored. This bird is well known to the gunners at Seeonnett 
Point and apparently is of regular occurrence their in small num- 
bers during the spring migration. The pair seen by us on the 17 th 
was flying in a westerly direction, that seen on the 20th was go- 
ing towards the eastward. The male seen on the 21 st might have 
been the mate of the female shot on the 2ofh. 
