Merganser americanus. Shell Drake 1889 Maine. L. Umbagog. Much less numerous than usual, owing probably to the high stage of water which interfered seriously with their feeding grounds. Still a few were seen almost every day up to my departure. On Oct. 23d I saw a beautiful adult male apparently in perfect plumage in Leonard's Pond. In the same place on the same morning I tried to approach two which as I could see through my glass were sound asleep sitting on a lump of mud near the middle of this pond, but al- though my guide used his paddle so skillfully as not to make the least sound, they awoke and flew before we were within gun-shot. This Merganser is found on all the riv- ers and ponds about Umbagog, even on such small forest-en-circled pools as Bottle Brook pond where one was killed by Mr. Skillings this autumn. Mr. Noyes tells me that a few years since he shot a Shelldrake flying which had evident- ly come up the Androscoggin river from below Erroll Dam. While dying after being taken into the boat it vomited up a small pickerel which was still alive. He believes that it has been instrumental in introducing pickerel and oth- er fishes to ponds into which they could not have gained access by any other way. The Shelldrake about Umbagog are quite as shy as, if not shyer, than, the Black Ducks. afAf- ter they have once seen a man or a boat. But their sen- ces of both sight and hearing are dull and it is an easy matter to stalk them from the shore or to paddle within gun-shot by grassing or bushing a boat. They have one cur-ious habit which leads to the destruction of a great many individuals, namely, although they will invariably rise several gun-shots away and often half a mile ahead of an open boat, they do not seem to fear either boat or man when once they are fairly on wing, and it is a common occur- ce for a flock to pass within short range of an uncon-cealed boat in open water. 94