/ 
Anas obscura . 
Lake Umbagog, Maine. 
1897. moon which was perhaps an hour high in the eastern shy. It 
Sept.11. was a picture I shall not soon forget. One by one, to the 
(No.2). number of a dozen or more, the stately, long-necked birds 
crossed this shining path and were at once lost to sight in 
the obscurity that walled it in on both sides. A few minutes 
) 
later we followed them but before we could get them again in¬ 
to the moonlight they saw or heard us and rose with a prodig¬ 
ious rush of wings. I sent a charge of shot after them quite 
at random but without result. The report did not seem to dis- 
turb any of the other Ducks for we heard them quacking and 
splashing in several directions a minute or two later, and 
\ 
tried to paddle up again to some of them but without success. 
Lake Umbagog, Maine. Evening at Moose Point. 
1900. The flight of Ducks was much less to-night than last 
Sept.8. night, only about 20 or 25 appearing. Of these three were 
Hooded Mergansers and one a Wood Duck, all the others being 
Black Ducks. All of the last-named came from the eastward. 
It was interesting to see them reconnoitre the ground before 
alighting. Most of the flocks would fly over or around the 
entire marsh from two to four times, at first at a height be 
yond shot gun range, then lower, finally only 15 or 20 feet 
above the grass. It is this habit of theirs which gives us 
o\ir shots at Moose Point, for if they were wise enough to 
