GREEN- WING ED TEA.L. 31 



a few times to the west coast of Greenland, from Nanortalik to Disco 

 Bay, and was once taken in May on the east coast at Nanusek. The 

 species is accidental in Great Britain, the Bermudas, and Hawaii. 



Winter range. — South of the United States it is common in Mexico, 

 at least as far as Jalapa, the City of Mexico, Michoacan, and Jalisco; 

 common also in the Bahamas, and rare in Cuba, Jamaica, and Hon- 

 duras. It has been recorded on the islands of Carriacou, Grenada, and 

 Tobago, of the Lesser Antilles. 



It is one of the most abundant ducks throughout the southwestern 

 United States during winter. It is a hardy duck, and in general 

 remains as far north as it can find open fresh water. Thus it winters 

 in western Montana (Great Falls), central Utah, southern Nebraska, 

 southern Iowa, central Illinois, central Indiana (rarely Lake Michigan), 

 western New York, and Rhode Island. It is accidental in Massachu- 

 setts in winter, and one was found at Halifax, Nova Scotia, January 

 14, 1890. The principal winter home in the Mississippi Valley lies 

 south of 37° latitude. 



Spring 'migration. — The green-winged teal is one of the early mi- 

 grating 'river ducks,' but not quite so early, by about five days, as 

 the mallard. Along the Atlantic slope it passes north of its winter 

 home in early March, and the average date of its arrival in southern 

 Pennsylvania is March 16; southern Connecticut, April 6; Montreal, 

 Canada, April 27, Prince Edward Island, April 26. 



The average date of the first arrivals in central Missouri is February 

 26; central 'Illinois, March 7; English Lake, Ind., March 15; Keokuk, 

 Iowa (average for twelve years), March 3; central Iowa (fourteen 

 years), March 11; Heron Lake, Minn, (six years), March 2-1 (earliest 

 March 6, 1887). In its migration along the eastern border of the 

 Plains the green-winged teal is noted at Onaga, Kans., March 8; north- 

 ern Nebraska, March 12; central South Dakota, March 20; northern 

 North Dakota, April 6; Aweme, Manitoba, April 16, and southern 

 Saskatchewan, April 19. These dates indicate the rather slow rate of 

 only 18 miles a day. The average of five years' records of arrival at 

 Terry, Mont., is March 23, a date about ten days earlier than that 

 at which the species appears in the same latitude in Minnesota. Its 

 winter home on the Pacific coast extends 1,500 miles farther north 

 than on the Atlantic, and hence it is not surprising that the bird has 

 been seen on the middle Yukon by May 3 and at the mouth of the 

 Yukon by May 10. 



South of the breeding range the last green-winged teal was seen at 

 Raleigh, N. C, April 13, 1900; Hester, La., April 6, 1902; northern 

 Texas, April 16, 1886. The average date of disappearance for eight 

 years at Keokuk, Iowa, is April 7, latest, April 30, 1892. 



Eggs were taken at Nulato, Alaska, latitude 65-, May 20, and no 

 earlier date seems to be recorded for the regions to the south. Eggs 

 ^ 4510— No. 26—06 3 



