36 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



westward to California. Breeding formerly in most of its range, 

 it is now restricted in the United States to western plains and 

 mountain parks. In Canada it breeds from Manitoba west to 

 central British Columbia and northwest to Kotzebue Sound, 

 being most abundant between 51° and 54° lat. It winters from 

 \'irginia to Georgia and through the Gulf states to Mexico and 

 Guatemala, rarely to Florida and the West Indies or South 

 America. 



In Missouri the Shoveller is a fairly common transient visitant 

 from March 10 to April 25 and from October 1 to November 20. 

 In mild weather earlier and later dates have been obtained in 

 central Missouri (February 20, 1903, New Haven, Dr. Eimbeck, 

 and December 4, 1902, St. Charles Co.), and in southeastern 

 Missouri some have been taken in January. The Shoveller is 

 known to have bred in the state (Clark Co., E. S. Currier), and 

 even now pairs are seen late in April or even in May (May 16, 

 1905, WaiTensburg), which would probably breed, if conditions 

 were favorable. 



143. Dafila acuta (Linn.). Pintail. 



Anas acuta. Anas caudacuta. Sprig. Sprigtail. 



Geog. Dist. — Northern hemisphere; breeding sparingly in 

 western United States, but chiefly from Manitoba, Assiniboia and 

 British Columbia northward to the Arctic coast, rarely eastward 

 from Hudson Bay to New Brunswick. It is the commonest duck 

 in Alaska. It winters from Mrginia and Louisiana southward 

 to Cuba and through Mexico to Costa Rica, rarely to Panama. 

 Also along the Pacific coast from British Columbia south tlu'ough 

 California. 



In Missouri the Sprig, as it is conmionly called, is a very com- 

 mon transient visitant in spring and fall, lingering long with us 

 in spring, but passing througli rapidty in fall. Flocks of Sprigs 

 may be found in one part of the state or another from the end of 

 Januaiy to April 20, and from October 1 to December 15, more 

 commonly from March 1 to 25, and from October 10 to November 

 25. With Mallards the Sprigs are the first ducks to return to 

 us as soon as the snow disappears from the ground and before the 

 ice has broken up in the lakes or left the rivers. They appeared 

 near St. Louis February 24, 1905, three days before the ice 

 broke up in the Mississippi and only four days after the first 

 thaw followed one of our severest winters, in which the ground 

 was covered for four weeks with a solid sheet of icy snow. The 



