92 
FRANK FORESTER’S FIELD SPORTS. 
Long Island or the Jersey shores, where only I have followed 
wild-fowl shooting. 
THE PIED DUCK. 
j Fuligula Ldbradora .— Vulgo, Skunk-Duck — Sand-Shoal Duck. 
This is a very much rarer species than the Duck last mentioned. 
Its range does not extend south of Chesapeake Bay. It ascends 
the Delaware River as high as Philadelphia, is met with in 
greater or less numbers every year along the coasts of New 
Jersey and Long Island, and frequents the shores of Massachu¬ 
setts, Maine, and Nova Scotia, during the severest cold of winter. 
It is a truly marine bird, seldom entering livers, unless forced 
by stress of weather to do so. Breeds in Labrador. Mr. Gi- 
raud, in his “ Birds of Long Island,” states, that a few are killed 
on that coast yearly, adding, “ with us it is rather rare, chiefly 
inhabiting the western side of the continent.” In this, how¬ 
ever, he differs from Mr. Audubon, who speaks of it as a purely 
northern and eastern fowl, “ never seen in the interior.” On 
Long Island it is called “ the Skunk Duck,” from some fancied 
similarity in its colors. Mr. Wilson thus describes it: 
“ This is rather a scarce species on our coasts, and is never 
met with on fresh water lakes or rivers. It is called by some 
gunners the Sand-Shoal Duck, from its habit of frequenting 
sand-bars. Its principal food appears to be shell-fish, which it 
procures by diving. The flesh is dry, and partakes considera¬ 
bly of the nature of its food. It is only seen here during win¬ 
ter ; most commonly early in the month of March, a few are 
observed in our market. Of their principal manners, place, or 
mode of breeding, nothing more is known. Latham observes, 
that a pair in the possession of Sir Joseph Banks, were brought 
from Labrador. Having myself had frequent opportunities of 
examining both sexes of these birds, I find that, like most 
others, they are subject, when young, to a progressive change 
