Anas obscura . 
Cambr i dg e, Ma s s. 
1899. early in October, but their numbers have increased of late 
Nov.29. and they are gradually getting bolder and approaching the 
( 2 ). shores nearer. On the 24th I saw a dozen or more within gun¬ 
shot of the shore off the hemlock grove and yesterday others 
had worked in equally near the Tudor shore. This morning they 
were farther out and scattered everywhere among the Gulls al¬ 
though not at all evenly for in places there were single birds 
or pairs only while in others fifteen or twenty were collected 
in a close bunch. They were very active and noisy at times 
swimming rapidly to and fro and quacking loudly but they did 
not seem to be feeding. Sometimes two birds would meet and 
go through a curious performance nodding their heads up and 
down either together or alternately as if saluting one another, 
keeping this up for a minute or more. Again a single bird 
v 
would swim very rapidly for yards with its head and neck 
stretched out flat on the water and its body deeply immersed 
looking loke a dark line drawn on the surface. Of course 
there was much plunging, feather-preening and thrashing of 
the water and not infrequently several birds would plunge 
their heads and necks beneath the surface and raising them 
suddenly scatter a shower of drops over their backs, at the 
same time beating the water with their wings. Once six or 
eight birds rose and flew up to windward diving from on wing 
in rapid succession and not only disappearing beneath the 
