THE HARLEQUIN DUCK ON THE COAST OF ESSEX 
COUNTY, MASS. 
In the “Birds of Essex County,” published in 1905, I was 
able to give only three records of the Harlequin Duck for 
the County. These were all from mounted specimens. Two 
were in the Essex County collection of the Peabody Museum 
of Salem, one a male from Baker’s Island, without date; 
the other a young male from Marblehead, dated Nov. 11, 
1883. The third, also a male, from Swampscott, dated 
Nov. 20, 1877, was in the collection of the Brookline, Mass., 
High School. In the “Supplement,” published in 1920, I 
was unable to add any more records, but I have had recently 
an interesting experience, which is worth recording. 
On March 4, 1922, in company with several friends, I 
took the steamer from Boston running to Gloucester. The 
Captain, at our request, steamed close to Half-way Rock, 
a small rocky islet rising abruptly from the sea to a height 
of about fifty feet. The Rock lies two miles off Marblehead, 
about half-way between Boston Outer Light and Gloucester. 
In addition to a Common Cormorant and two or more Purple 
Sandpipers, we started from this rock two small ducks, 
which I believe were Harlequins. One of these flew wildly 
about the rock and over the water astern of us, not scaling 
53 
