“As early as the first and second weeks in October, the smaller ducks, as the Buffel-head, _Anas Albeola_; South-southerly, _A. glacialis_; and the Ruddy or Heavy-tailed Duck, _A. rubidus_, begin to shew themselves in the upper part of the bay; and by the last of the month, the Black-head, _A. Marila_; Widgeon or Bald-pate, _A. Americana_; Red-head, _A. Ferina_; and the Goose, _A. Canadensis_, appear, and rapidly distribute themselves down the bay. The Canvass-back, _A. Valisneria_, and the Swan, _Cygnus Americanus_, rarely, unless the weather to the north has been severe, appear in quantities till the middle of November. All these fowl, when first arrived, are thin and tasteless, from their privation during their migration, and perhaps preparatory arrangements, and require some days at least of undisturbed repose, to give them that peculiar flavour for which some of them are so celebrated. During the low tides succeeding their arrival, the birds sit on the flats far from the shores, and rarely rise to the wing unless disturbed; but when the spring-tides render the water too deep for feeding, they commence their career, and pass down the bay in the morning, and return in the evening. Most of these fowl feed on the same grass, which grows abundantly on the shallows in the bay and adjacent waters, and has been called duck-grass, _Valisneria Americana_. It grows from six to eighteen inches in length, and is readily pulled up by the root. Persons who have closely observed these ducks while feeding, say that the Canvass-back and Black-head dive and pull the grass from the ground, and feed on the roots, and that the Red-head and Bald-pate then consume the leaves. Indeed, although the Bald-pate is a much smaller bird than the Canvass-back, it has been seen to rob the latter, immediately on its return from under the water, of all its spoil. “All these larger ducks are found together when feeding, but separate when on the wing. That they feed on the same grass, is evident from the similarity of flavour; and those most accustomed to the article have a difficulty in deciding on the kind of duck from the taste. Indeed, the Bald-pate is generally preferred by residents.