occurred in the Middle Atlantic States. Two- 
thirds of the total kill was in Maryland alone. 
Harvest areas of lesser importance were along 
the migration routes inthe eastern Great Lakes 
area, north-central states, and prairie prov- 
inces, 
OLDSQUAW 
Clangula hyemalis (Linnaeus) 
The Oldsquaw, or ''south-southerly", as itis 
called locally, is a common transient and 
winter resident along the coast and throughout 
the brackish or salt estuarine bays of the Upper 
Chesapeake region. Oldsquaws usually are in 
scattered small flocks, but occasionally they 
occur in much larger concentrations. They 
are not generally considered to be a satis- 
factory gamebird, and very few are shot by 
hunters. The fall migration ordinarily is 
during the period from October 20-30 to 
December 10-20, with the peak between No- 
venber 5 and December 5. The normal spring 
migration period extends from March 1-10 
to April 20-30, with the peak between March 
15 and April 15. 
Habitats 
Most Oldsquaws are fairly evenly distributed 
along the ocean and bays of the Coastal sec- 
tion; in the salt estuarine bays of the Lower 
Eastern Shore, Lower Western Shore, and 
Lower Potomac sections; and in the brackish 
estuarine bays of the Choptank River and 
Eastern Bay sections, Smaller numbers occur 
regularly in brackish estuarine bays of the 
Blackwater-Nanticoke, Chester River, Central 
Western Shore, Patuxent River, and Lower 
Potomac sections. Occasionally a few Old- 
squaws occur on fresh and slightly brackish 
estuarine bays of the Upper Eastern Shore, 
Susquehanna Flats, Upper Western Shore, 
Central Potomac, and Upper Potomac sec- 
tions. 
Food Habits 
The gullet and gizzard food contents of 6 
Oldsquaws were examined (table 140). Animal 
foods were predominant, and included various 
crustaceans, bivalve mollusks and small fish. 
The leaves, stems, and rootstalks of eelgrass 
and widgeongrass also were consumed, and 
one bird had taken considerable quantities of 
bait (wheat and corn), 
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER 
Melanitta deglandi (Bonaparte) 
White-winged Scoters are common tran- 
Sients and winter residents in the coastal areas, 
57 
and also are the commonest scoters of Chesa- 
peake Bay proper. White-winged Scoters and 
other scoters are considered by most duck 
hunters to be unacceptable game, and very 
few are shot, The fall migration usually is 
during the period October 5-15 to December 
5-15, with the peak between October 20 and 
December }!. The normal spring migration 
period extends from March 10-20 to May 1-10, 
with the peak between March 25 and April 25, 
Habitats 
The optimum habitat for all three species 
of scoters is the littoral zone of the ocean, 
in the area just beyond the breakers and 
within one mile of the shore. The numerous 
small and large flocks often total many thou- 
sands of individuals, The species composition 
of the flocks varies greatly. Each species 
may occur alone or in various proportions 
with the other two. The White-winged Scoter 
also is common in the coastal bays, in the 
salt estuarine bays of the Lower Eastern 
Shore, Lower Western Shore, and Lower 
Potomac sections, and in the brakish estuarine 
bays of the Choptank River and Eastern Bay 
sections. Small numbers occur regularly 
in the brackish estuarine bays of the Black- 
water-Nanticoke, Chester River, Central 
Western Shore, and Patuxent River sections, 
and in slightly brackish estuarine bays of the 
Central Potomac section, 
A high local count of 8,000 White-winged 
Scoters was made on April 6, 1946, in the 
littoral zone of the ocean between Ocean City, 
Maryland, and the Delaware - Maryland line. 
Highest local counts on brackish estuarine 
bays of the Eastern Bay section included 3,400 
on December 29, 1954,and 3,000 on December 
Lgl 9 Sk. 
SURF SCOTER 
Melanitta perspicillata (Linnaeus) 
Very large numbers of transient and winter- 
ing Surf Scoters occur in the coastal section, 
where they usually outnumber the White- 
winged and Common Scoters. Surf Scoters 
usually are most abundant in the littoral 
zone of the ocean, although many occur reg- 
ularly on the coastal bays. A few occur in 
the salt estuarine bays of the Lower Eastern 
Shore, Lower Western Shore, and Lower 
Potomac sections, and in the brackish estua- 
rine bays of the Choptank River and Eastern 
Bay sections. In the Chesapeake Bay area, 
Surf Scoters are greatly outnumbered by 
White-winged Scoters. 
The fall migration of Surf Scoters usually 
is during the period from October 1-10 to 
December 1-10, with the peak between Oc- 
tober 15 and November 25. The normal spring 
