84 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 61, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



Aythya valisineria: Canvasback 



In 1925, I was told by a trapper that canvasbacks had been seen 

 on Urilia Bay, on Unimak Island. It was thought at the time 

 that he had confused the birds with some other canvas-backed 

 type of duck. But the report is more plausible since Friedmann 

 (1937) referred to this species — five humeri found in old middens 

 at Dutch Harbor. The bird has also been recorded for the Pribi- 

 lofs. No other records for canvasbacks were obtained. 



Aythya mania: Greater Scaup 

 Aythya mania nearctlca 



Attu: Han-o ka-ve-too 



Russian, Commander Islands: Tschernik (Stejneger) 



Four specimens of this species, which were breeding birds, were 

 collected by Donald Stevenson at Izembek Bay in June 1925. On 

 geographic grounds, also, the scaup of this region should be 

 A. marila nearctica, rather than A. afflnis. The American greater 

 scaup was recorded from Kodiak Island by Friedmann (1935). 

 Concerning this bird, Osgood (1904) says, "Scaup ducks, doubt- 

 less this species, were seen in small flocks along the Nushagak 

 River September 4 to 9. McKay took them in May and July at 

 Nushagak and Ugashik." And again, he says (1901), "a flock of 

 six scaup ducks were seen on a pond near Tyonek September 17." 



Cahalane records this duck on the Naknek River, where it was 

 abundant, on September 28, 1940, and he found it to be common 

 on Brooks Lake, September 9, though he did not see it in the more 

 interior portions of the Katmai National Monument. He also 

 said that they were fairly common in the Kodiak-Afognak area. 



On July 23, 1940, Gabrielson observed four broods of greater 

 scaups on the Kvichak River. In later years, he saw them in num- 

 bers at Unimak, Atka, Kanaga, Umnak, Unalaska, Amchitka, 

 Shumagin, Sanak, and Kodiak-Afognak Islands. 



We saw two greater scaups near Chisik Island, Cook Inlet, May 

 7, 1936. On May 27-29, 1936, scaups were common, flying about 

 in pairs, near Ugashik River. In June 1928, Jaques found them to 

 be common near Port Moller. They were reported to be common 

 near Chignik, maintaining their numbers better than other ducks 

 in that vicinity. 



In 1925, I found scaups nesting in Izembek Bay. About the 

 middle of May of that year, there were small bands in St. 

 Catherine Cove, at Unimak Island, swimming on the salt water 

 or on the small ponds on the shore, sometimes segregating in 

 pairs. In the middle of June, they were particularly common 



