186 
1868, 
(Sopt.l9) 
« 22 . 
• 26. 
Oet. 10. 
a86Q« ^ 
Apr. 5, 
“ 6 , 
“ 8 . 
Oet. 7. 
1870. 
Oet, 2. 
- 21 . 
Aix sponsa. 
Middlesex county, Mass. 
Ducks, launched into the water again and approached the 
place of my concealment. I got the two males together 
and killed them both at a shot; the females did not fly 
at tho report and I secured one with the other barrel. 
The drakes showed to great advantage on the water es¬ 
pecially v/hen the sunbeams, penetrating the bushes, rest¬ 
ed on their superb plumage. This flock kept up a con¬ 
tinual tvdttering almost exactly like that of a flock of 
Tree Sparrov^s but I could not tell whether it was pro¬ 
duced by the Wood Duck or the Teal, The Wood Duck when 
flying utters a loud p- clark , ,o- elark very like tho scream 
of a Guinea Hen. One flock which I started suddenly, 
honked like geese as they rose. The males can be readily 
distinguished from the females while flying provided the 
sun is shining. 
A flock of four came in to my live decoy on Fresh 
Pond just as day v/as breaking. 
A flock of three flying. They are getting scarce. 
A flock of about a dozen, evidently migrants, came 
into Fresh Pond this morning. They were readily decoy¬ 
ed by some tame ducks but only one was killed. 
Two in the swamp. 
One. 
Upwards of fifty on Concord River. The meadows 
are overflowed offering extensive feeding grounds. Dur¬ 
ing the night these Sucks visit the ploughed fields in 
great numbers, leaving the soft ground covered mth their 
foot prints; through the day they food on cranberries in 
the meadows. Several v/hich vre killed had their crops 
filled v/ith these berries. 
Abundant on Concord River; shot several. The drakcjs 
are now in perfect plumage and we saw no immature birds. 
Had a good chance to watch their habits. Ken itt thick 
grass or bushes they frequently allowed our boat to pass 
within a few yards of them v/ithout moving, and on several 
occasions vre found it impossible to start a flock which 
we had just seen alight. 
Tv/o on Sherman’s Pond, Waltham. 
Shot three on Smith’s Pond. Two which were only 
wounded made out into the pond but v^hen pursued by my dog 
dove once or tv/iee and disappeared. Melvin tells me 
that he has had them cling to the roots on the bottom long 
after life was extinct. 
