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The Ottawa Naturalist 



[Vol. XXXIl 



seen in small pools and standing in ditch water along 

 the railroad tracks, and that it is one of the earliest 

 of ducks to mature. 



19. ^'MALLARD, Anas plaivrhvnchos. 



One of the commonest ducks though being rapidly 

 reduced as a breeder by the progressive restriction 

 of suitable marshes. 



20. ^"BLACK DUCK, Anas rubripes. 



The Ward brothers seem to know this species 

 and describe it as a rare fall migrant. We are in 

 receipt of a specimen labelled Winnipeg, Man. 

 (W. R. Hine) which we are informed by its donor, 

 Mr. Seton, was taken at Shoal Lake. The date is 

 not recorded. 



21. ^GADWELL, Chaulelasmus streperus. 



Raine found nests in 1894 and Seton noted them 

 on PeHcan Island on July 6, 1901. Wards say 

 it is, or was, an uncommon but regular breeder. 

 Specimens were taken on May 15 and 19, 1917. 

 and Young reports a few individuals during May, 

 1918. 



22. BALDPATE, Mareca americana. 



Raine found nests in 1894 and Chapman in 1901, 

 and the Ward brothers say it is one of the scarcest 

 of the ducks and growing more so. Young reports 

 seeing individuals at the end of April and in the 

 beginning of May, 1918. 



23. -"^GREEN-WINGED TEAL, Nctiion coToUnense. 

 A common breeder and still lingering in some 



numbers, seeming to require less extensive marshes 

 than many other species of duck. 



24. '^BLUE-WINGED TEAL, Quefquedula dlscors. 

 A common breeder similar to the green-winged 



but seen considerably later in the fall. 



25. CINNAMON TEAL, Querquedula c^anoptera. 

 Seton (Auk, 1886, p. 328) quotes R. H. Hunter 



as having taken a specimen at Oak Point, on the 

 adjacent Lake Manitoba shore. This is near 

 enough to the locality under discussion for mention 

 though the lack of recent records for the species and 

 apparent absence of specimens render it a little 

 unsatisfactory. 



26. SHOVELLER, Spatula cl^peata. 



A common breeder in 1917. Said by the Wards 

 to be the only duck that is showing an increase, and 

 they describe, during the past three years, vast flocks 

 of a thousand or more in eclipse, remaining until the 

 fall plumage is assumed when they depart for the 

 south. However this may have been just previous 

 to 1917, we have seen nothing like it in the last 

 two years. They are present throughout the spring, 

 but Sept. 17-26 may have been too late for such 

 aggregations in 1917. Young was present all the 

 summer of 1918 and only noted occasional birds 

 through April and May, so it is probable that the 

 above increase was only momentary and was 



checked by the continued ecological changes in the 

 locality. 



27. ^PINTAIL, Dafila acuta. 



Was a common breeder. Said by the Ward 

 brothers to mature earlier than any other species of 

 duck except the Hooded Merganser. More Pin- 

 tails were seen during the spring of 1917 than any 

 other kind of duck. In 1918, Young found them 

 very common in early May, gradually reducing in 

 numbers after the middle of the month, scarce in 

 midsummer, which here gives no cover for eclipse 

 conditions. The last noted were fifty on Sept. 16. 



28. WOOD DUCK, Aix sponsa. 



The Ward brothers give circumstantial accounts 

 of the occurrence of two Wood Ducks at different 

 times. One male taken in 1899 or 1900 was identi- 

 fied as such by a Mr. Robt. Holland, who was 

 familiar with them in Ontario, and the other from 

 memory of that specimen. Whilst these records 

 are not unimpeachable, taking into consideration the 

 striking characters of the birds and the qualifications 

 of our informants, I accept them with but slight 

 reservations. 



29. REDHEAD, Marila americana. 



Arnold found nests in 1894 and the Wards say 

 that it used to breed. We saw only occasional 

 specimens during spring and fall. 



30. "^CANVAS-BACK, Marila valUsneria. 



Said by the Wards to have been a common 

 breeder in the past. A female was taken on June 

 6, 1917, but it proved to be a non-breeder. We 

 have only seen occasional individuals in spring and 

 early summer. 



3 1 . ^LESSER SCAUP, Marila affinis. 



A considerable number of Scaups were noted 

 during both spring and fall. All taken proved to 

 be the Lesser Scaup, though undoubtedly the 

 Greater Scaup also occurs. The Wards know of 

 but one nest being taken, that one being amongst the 

 gulls on an island. 



32. "''ring-necked duck, Marila collaris. 

 Nothing like as common as the Scaups. A few 



were observed in the spring of 1917 and specimens 

 taken in the following fall. It was not observed 

 by Young in 1918. The Wards know it under the 

 name of "Buck-eye", and say that it occasionally 

 occurs in small flocks but do not know of its 

 breeding. 



33. AMERICAN GOLDENEYE, Clangula clangula. 



A flock of SIX were seen between May I 7 and 23, 

 and a pair hung about until the first week of June 

 in 1917. Young noted one on July 11, 1918. All 

 adult males observed were of this species. We 

 have no record of its breeding. 



34. barrow's GOLDENEYE, Clangula islandica. 

 Seton (Auk, 1886, p. 328), cites R. H. Hunter 



as authority for the capture of a drake on Shoal 



