it cannot be swallowed because the gills get caught against the 
     
     sides of the mouth, and it has to be regurgitated. A dropped 
     
     fish will not be picked up again. The bird does not drink and 
     
    

    
     so the fish are kept in ice cold water. If the smelts are very 
     
     large, one about every two hours seems to suffice, but if small, 
     
     two and sometimes even three will disappear. On an average the 
     
     Murre consumes about a pound of fish each day. When he has had 
     
     sufficient he emits a strange hooting "aahh" several times. ’It 
     
     could be "thank you" or "that's enough" or just plain indigestion, 
     
     but it sounds most like an "aahh" of satisfaction. Otherwise the 
     
     bird makes few sounds except to yell if he has to be caught. He 
     
     still takes exception to being handled, and lets it be known 
     
     vocally, and with some pretty accurate beak attacks. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The Murre now spends the warmest part of milder days outside in 
     
    

    
     a large cage banked with snow for protection from cold winds. 
     
    

    
     Once outside he does a good deal of wing flapping, waddles around 
     
     occasionally, and takes the odd short flight around the cage, by 
     
     launching himself from atop a rock. Other than this he is not 
     
    

    
     too active and spends most of the time resting. He does more 
     
     preening when outside, and seems to be getting some natural oil 
     
    

    
     in his feathers, but he cannot withstand lower temperatures yet. 
     
     Temperature changes from the house to outdoors do not seem to 
     
     bother him if the day is reasonably pleasant. He seems to have 
     
     adapted to his new life style with little fuss. He will walk 
     
    

    
     into his indoor cage himself, and settle comfortably. He is not 
     
     at all perturbed by dogs or cats or a noisy parrot, and he knows 
     
     the fish container! He is mostly very docile and makes no attempt 
     
     to fight being in a cage. Occasionally he escapes outside and 
     
     goes flapping over the fields but is unable to lift off the ground. 
     
     He obviously requires a high place or water for take off. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The remaining problem is whether or not the bird can stay afloat 
     
     in water for a long period. The Fish and Wildlife Division has 
     
     had previous experience with a number of birds found coated with 
     
     oil,and despite cleaning and care, when they were finally returned 
     
     to the sea, all sank in the water. It has been decided to keep 
     
     the bird till spring, thus deferring the problem. Perhaps if the 
     
     bird moults, new feathers and a new distribution of natural oils 
     
     will resolve the problem. In the meantime keeping a Common Murre 
     
     is proving a fascinating experience. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Mrs. Joan Taylor, Vernon River 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     QADWALLg SEEN AT WLNTER BANDING STATION 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     The Fish and Wildlife Division is conducting its annual winter duck 
     
     banding program again this year to obtain information on the wintering 
     
     population of black ducks. Ducks are fed corn on the ice for several 
     
     days until finally they are enticed into a trap baited with corn. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Conservation Officer Gerard MacIntyre has a banding station set up at 
     
     St. Andrew's,east of Mt. Stewart. On January 22 he saw two gadwalls 
     
     in the vicinity of the station and true to their reputation they 
     
     appeared to be robbing food from black ducks. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The gadwall is a native of western Canada and has only recently extended 
     
     its range to P.E.I. Since 1972 gadwalls have reared broods at Indian 
     
     River Wildlife Management Area, but to my knowledge this is the first 
     
     record of wintering birds. The gadwall is easily recognized by the 
     
     large white patch on the speculum of the wing. 
     
    
   
   
    
     - Rosemary Curley 
     
     Fish & Wildlife Division