Bay Or Sea Ducks

( Originally Published Early 1900's )

We now come to the so-called bay or sea Ducks (Sub-family Fuligulince), which are distinguished from the last group by having the hind toe broadly lobed or webbed. They are mainly large birds, frequenting the open water of our large lakes, bays, and seacoasts, and they obtain their food, which consists of mollusks, crustaceans, and the seeds and roots of aquatic plants, by diving, often to a surprising depth. Thus Mosley records that in Lake Erie large numbers of Old Squaw Ducks were brought in by fishermen that had been caught in their nets in a depth of water varying from eighty to one hundred feet, and greater depths than these have also been recorded.