224 
1876. 
(Apr.18) 
“ 18 . 
« 19. 
May 16, 
Pelionetta perspicillata. 
I ropeat'xlly heard this species utter a short que^ 
■an®., .auae v^hen flying. The flight of all threespecios 
of Coots is identical. Any of them will easily over¬ 
take and pass the Brant, quickly leaving the latter far 
behind, A flock presents a very pretty appearance as 
it approaches swiftly over the sea, at times flying so 
lov^ it is lost to view behind each swell (Point Lepreaux, 
N,3. ). 
A very heavy flight beginning at sunrise and ceasing 
ay 1 P,M, Most of the flocks containing a fev; Me lane t- 
ta velveti na. (Point Lepreaux,N,B,), 
About half of the numerous Coots that passed to-day 
v/ere of this species, most of the remainder Iveing Vel¬ 
vet Scoters, We savr one immense flock on the water, 
at least five humdped floating in clusters with scatter¬ 
ing ones betv,reen, the v/hole covering an acre or more of 
surface, A flock of these Ducks approaching sv/iftly 
over the sea presents a very beautiful sight, the heads 
of the males appearing snow white. The discrepancy in 
in the sexes aiTiong this and the other two species of 
Coots here is remarkable; flocks of twenty or more are 
frequently composed entirely of males and it is rare to 
see more than two or throe females in the largest 
flock. Possibly the females migrate later than the 
males, but this cannot be true of the Common Scoter, for 
its migration is almost ait an end. To-day ten of 
those Ducks strung out in a long line passed v/ithin long 
range; I aimed about twelve foot ahead of the loader and 
wounded the last but one in the file. It flew some dis¬ 
tance then dropped in the v/ater, when the others came 
back and alighted with it. As we approached all flew 
except a male, evidently the mate of the wounded female. 
The latter at length dove and, although the v/ater vras as 
smooth as glass, v/e did not see it again. Where it went 
to IS a mystery, for those birds, so far as I have ob¬ 
served, never swim with only the bill above vra,ter as it 
the habit of some of the fresh-nter Ducks vrhen wounded. 
(Point Leproaux,N.B,), 
Rather less numerous than either of the allied spe¬ 
cies in a bed of sev oral thousands Coots congregated just 
outside the surf at Chatham, Mass, (See Obs,under Oedo- 
mia americana l, 
