Anas obscura. 
Lake Umbagog, Maine 
Evening at Moose Point 
1900. 
come over the marsh at a safe height and then descend into 
Sept.8. 
the middle portions they would be in little or no danger. 
Some of the flocks and many of the single birds have appa¬ 
rently learned this and of those which encircle the marsh the 
majority now avoid the high banks along the shores of the 
Lake where we secrete ourselves. As they course back and 
forth over the wide expanse they alternately appear in strong 
relief against the afterglow in the western sky and disap¬ 
pear for a moment against some dark cloud or the black'moun¬ 
tain masses beyond the Megalloway River valley. After satis- 
r 
fying themselves that no danger lurks in the marsh they de¬ 
scend on set wings making a rushing sound, like that of wind 
in pines and a succession of loud splashes as their heavy 
bodies strike the water. After alighting they frequently 
thrash the water with their wings and for minutes at a time 
the marsh fairly rings.with the loud quacking of the ducks 
and the wheezy, asthmatic calls of the drakes. 
