Concord, Mass. 
Merganser amer icanus . 
1899. After leaving some things at the cabin I kept on down 
April. 6. river, paddling against the strong wind nearly to Carlisle 
Bridge, and having a glorious sail sack. Flushed a pair of 
Gooseanders from Holden’s meadow and thirty or forty, with 
nearly as many more Whistlers, from the long, straight reach 
below Birch Island. Here only the river was open, the meadows 
on both sides being covered with ice which, on examination, 
I found to be from four to six or eight inches thick with an 
upper coating of white snow ice. Most of the Ducks were 
swimming near or standing along the edge of, the ice but a 
few were lying on the ice apparently asleep. Some of them 
rose more than half-a-mile from me out several flocks allowed 
me to paddle within less than 200 yards of them. The Goose- 
anders were nearly all in pairs although a number of pairs 
were often collected together into a small flock. At a dis- 
tance the old drakes looked as white and almost as large as 
Swans on the dark blue water. I do r)ot think there were any 
immature males for in every case when I saw two birds sitting 
together one ’was a drake in full plumage and the other its 
modest garbed mate. I do not remember to have ever seen so 
many fine old males here before. The rich salmon of their 
under parts was conspicuous enough when they passed me within 
three or four hundred yards. On the ice they stood rather 
a? 
