(.' 5 ) 
Oidemia ainericana. 
very easy to tell 
a few birds, and sometimes ttTej'Wtrcrte flock, stop 
to side to look back 
1 whan they are a- 
lame . 
T.. Urnbagog. 
enough the birds seem to be shyer when first approached than af¬ 
terwards, even though they may be fired into at every attempt.Thus 
1 have repeatedly got within less than thirty yards of a flock at 
a third attempt , after, having fired at them as they rose at a 
distance of sixty or seventy yards and perhaps killed one or two 
during the first and second attempts. They show little alarm imm 
in fact do not apparently notice a boat.until it is within about 
one hundred wards whenilhey, begin to swim rapidly, usually spread- 
inp out into a 7 Ion# line. A This is perhaps done io enable the end 
birds of the line to see past the brush or grass in the bows of 
the boat. If there is a wind blowing and the boat approaches 
them from •'lndward as it should, they will usually try to s w im 
past it on one ,s^.d e or the other so as to get a chance to rise up 
wind without to near it. They swim with great rapidity, 
turning their b/bads incessantly from side 
over their shoulders. Tt if 
bout to fly, for 
'swimming and stretch up their necks before unfolding their wirrgs. 
For the first two or three yards they use their feet as well as 
their wings, striking the water with their broad webs as if run¬ 
ning, and making a loud pattering sound. Once or twice we ap¬ 
proached a large flock within gun-shot' without alarming them, our 
boat of course being carefully concealed by grass. One such flock 
on October 3d composed almost entirely of adult males presented 
a superb appearance on the water,- a shining black mass y thickly 
spangled with spots of gold Whenever they turned so that their 
bills were exposed to the sunlight. At times they were active 
and playful; at others they drifted in a compact line looking ex¬ 
actly like a black log. Everey now and then they indulged in a 
sort of revolving dance, the whole flock swimming rapidly in a 
circle, each bird using his broad paddles so vigorously as to 
keep most of the body above the surface although the wings were 
not opened. This performance produced a plashing sound like a 
heavy shower of rain falling on a still pond. Occasionally a 
single bird in the flock would rise on end' and flap his wings 
like a Toon. Almost incessantly one or more birds were going 
through a motion which seems to be peculiar to Scoters if not to 
this particular species. This motion is difficult to describe. 
The bird seems to raise the err.ire half or v- 0 thirds of body 
out of water and lengthening neck stretches it straight up¬ 
wards, presenting nearly the appearance of a bottle floating with 
