Anas o'bscura 
VOL. XIII. JULY, 1896 . NO. 3 . 
Auk, XIII, July, 1890, p ft/9}>-Zo</, 
THE DUCKS OF PLYMOUTH COUNTY, MASSACHU¬ 
SETTS. 
BY HERBERT K. JOB. 
Whatever may be the claims of other sections of New England, 
it is certain that Plymouth County, Mass., especially the southern 
half, is notably a favorite resort of the Ducks. Every one of the 
twenty-eight species attributed to New England has been noted 
within the last ten years. 
The topographical conditions are specially favorable for their 
occurrence and capture. The county has an extended and varied 
coast-line, with good feeding grounds. Of the latter there are 
two specially notable, — Plymouth Bay on the east, and Buzzard’s 
Bay on the south. Another minor feeding ground is in the south¬ 
west corner of Cape Cod Bay, wdrere the townships of Plymouth 
and Bourne adjoin, — the South Plymouth resort. A few miles 
south of Plymouth Bay is a projection called Manomet Point, one 
of the finest spots for sea shooting on the whole New England 
coast. Vast hordes of ducks go by here in the autumn into Cape 
Cod Bay. The number is less in the spring, as the greater body, 
flying north, is deflected seaward by the convex side of Cape Cod, 
while in the flight south they suddenly find themselves hemmed in 
by the up-curving arm of the Cape. 
Southern Plymouth County is well termed the ‘ Lake Region of 
Massachusetts.’ It is full of ponds, and is drained mainly by 
the Taunton River and its tributaries. The largest bodies of 
fresh water in the State are found here. Assowompsett Pond, 
the greatest in area, is a broad oval sheet, shallow, three miles 
long by two across. The next is Long Pond, close by, four miles 
long by over a mile in width. These and a number of others 
comprise a distinct group, known as the Lakeville Ponds. East¬ 
ward, in the southern part of old Plymouth town, a region of 
veritable wilderness, is another large group. Then, north and 
west, in Kingston, Halifax and vicinity, is still another group, the 
largest being Monponsett Pond and Silver Lake, the latter a noted 
spot for shooting geese. Many of the Fuligulinae daily enter 
these ponds lying near the coast to obtain fresh water and to feed. 
