1871 
Aix sponsa. 
Middlesex County, Mass. 
Apr. 29. Numbers seen on Concord River by Melvin, 
. i! 
i! 
4872, 
Apr. 3. About twelve of both sexex on Concord River. 
1874, 
Sopt*30, Shot a very fine drake in the Fresh Pond swamps. 
1872. 
Apr, 3. Killed a pair on the Assabet River, Concord, at the 
hemlocks, and saw many others on Concord River, 
1874. 
Oct, 1®, On ' the Assabet River ,Concord a pair of Wood Ducks 
(the drake a superb fellovr) came rustling down the steep 
bank among some alders, and alunching out into the water 
sat motionless for a moment vrithin good gun shot of our 
boat; the next they took wing and flev/ up river, but 
within tv/o hundred yards the male alighted in the water 
and landing, scuttled up the bank into the bushes. 
When we came to the spot ho rose directly from the bushes. 
* 22, On the Trout Pond in “Fairyland", Concord, I surpri¬ 
sed a pair of Wood Ducks feeding close under the shore 
and after watching them for sometime, killed both at a 
shot. They were very playful, repeatedly chasing one 
another about, lashing the v/ater v^ith their wings. 
Their crops yrere distended with red-oak acorns, which 
produced a rattling sound audible at some distance when 
the bird was shaken. 
1876. 
Oct. 13. Reaching the Trout Pond in “Fairyland", Concord, 
just before sunset I found that little sheet of water un¬ 
usually beautiful. The rays of the setting sun glan¬ 
cing through the pines on the western side, throw por¬ 
tions of its surface into shadow lighting up others and 
strongly tinging the golden-yellow birches on the eas¬ 
tern shore. Trout were rising in all directions, some 
of the larger ones sending their rings fairly from shore 
to shore. In the woods chipmunks were “chucking" on 
all sides, and in the breathless stillness the rustle of 
every leaf stirred by their merry scampering came dis¬ 
tinctly to the ear. Suddenly overhead I heard the light 
silvery whistle of wings and the next moment a flock of 
ton Wood Ducks ceune hurdling down over the pond, I shot 
into them wounding one v^hieh alighted on the further 
extremity of the pond whore it was immediately joined by 
four others , As I was exposed to their viev/ I could do 
nothing but sit perfectly still, until, at length, they 
rose and disappeared over the v/oods. Three of the five 
were superb drakes and as they sat on the edge of the 
water preeming themselves their feathers in the last rays 
of the sinking sun, their briliant plumage was displayed 
to unusual advantage. 
