Some little 
     
     ,lords and ladies 
     
    
   
   
    
     {H 
     
    
   
   
    
     i XXIV ?"?NE*T 
     
    

    
     If you should chance to see a group 
     
     of delicate little waterfowl with sharp— 
     
     ly platterned slate~blue, white, black 
     
     and rusty plumage swimming in the shelt- 
     
     ered waters of some rocky cove or among 
     
     scattered islands, stop and take a second 
     
     look. And if you should happen to be car- 
     
     rying a shotgun, hold your fire. 
     
    

    
     The birds are Harlequin Ducks, wide— 
     
     ly known as "lords and ladies", and there 
     
     are likely fewer than a thousand left in 
     
     eastern North America. 
     
    

    
     Their small numbers in this region 
     
     are something of a mystery. In Iceland, there are estimated to be more 
     
     than 5,000 breeding pairs of the tiny sea—ducks. in southern Greenland, 
     
     they are reported to be "fairly common", and the Pacific coast harbours 
     
     a population of more than a million. 
     
    

    
     A review of writing by hunters and ornithologists over the past cen- 
     
     tury suggests that Harlequins have never been very numerous in these parts. 
     
     The earlier accounts refer to winter flocks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 
     
     off Newfoundland and south to cpae Cod which numbered in the hundreds. Mid— 
     
     twentieth century observers speak of flocks of a few dozen; yet, last 
     
    

    
     'Inonth, aerial surveys of known wintering spots in Nova Scotia found only 
     
     about 100 birds - in small, scattered groups. 
     
    

    
     For some reason the Harlequins of Atlantic Canada are declining, 
     
     little by little, towards the point of no return. Why this should be hap- 
     
     pening is a question on which wildlife biologists are currently focusing 
     
     their attention. 
     
    

    
     Most Harlequins in eastern Canada nest along turbulent streams which 
     
     flow into the Atlantic Ocean and Ungava Bay from the rugged Torngat Mount— 
     
     ains of Labrador. Even there, in prime breeding territory, they are un— 
     
     common. A survey last summer revealed a probable density of about one pair 
     
     for every ten kilometers of suitable habitat. In other parts of the world 
     
     ten times this density -i.e. one per kilometer - is considered to be low. Is 
     
     it possible that the food supply in these cold, nutrient—poor streams is 
     
     too limited to sustain a greater numer of breeding birds? 
     
    

    
     Harlequins winter in sheltered coves along rocky shorelines, where 
     
     they forage for prey among the seaweeds of theintertidal zone. They tend 
     
     to be close to a few traditional sites, a habit which could make them 
     
     especially vulnerable to unexpected calamities. An influx of heavy pack 
     
     ice could block access to their feeding areas. A spill of oil or toxic 
     
     chemicals could devastate an entire wintering flock. 
     
    

    
     Last but by no means least among possible reasons for their decline 
     
     is the pressure of hunting. Although in recent years significant numbers 
     
     of Harlequins have been taken only in Newfoundland, they are no strangers 
     
     to east coast hunting lore. Evidence of this appears in the wide variety 
     
     of popular names by which they are known in various parts of the region: 
     
     "rocks ducks" from their preferred feeding sites; "lords and ladies" and 
     
    

    
     '"white-eyed divers" with referece to their elegant plumage; "squeakers"