LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN WILD FOWL 31 



green-winged teal, baldpate, shovellers, ruddy ducks, geese, and swans. On 

 the sandy beaches, they are often near spotted sandpipers, or pelican, if not 

 actually with them. 



From tlie above it will be inferred that the bufflehead winters 

 as far north as it can find open water in the interior. On the coasts 

 it is found as far north as New England and British Columbia. 

 It seems to prefer to be on or near the frost line and does not go 

 much south of the United States in winter. 



Dr. Leonard C. Sanford (1903) Avrites: 



The butterball is common on ))oth coasts, and is fond of shallow, sandy 

 bays, frequenting the tide rips and mouths of rivers, remaining through the 

 coldest weather. A few years ago this bird was common all along the New 

 England shore. Large numbers wintered on the sound between New Haven 

 and Stratford, where the coast is shallow and sandy, early in the morning 

 leaving the outer flats and feeding up the rivers. It was a simple matter 

 to shoot them on their flight, as they came over the bars, low down and usually 

 in the same course. Recently the butterball seem to have largely disappeared 

 from the New England coast, though still common on bays farther south. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Breeding range. — Mainly in the interior of Canada. East to north- 

 ern Ontario (probably), said to breed in New Brunswick and re- 

 corded once as breeding in southeastern Maine (Washington County). 

 Has been recorded as breeding formerly, and probably only casualW, 

 south to southeastern Wisconsin (Pewaukee Lake), northern Iowa 

 (Clear Lake, etc.), and Wyoming (Meeteetse Creek); but it evi- 

 dently does not breed now anywhere south of the Canadian border 

 except in northern Montana (Milk River, Flathead Lake, and 

 Meagher County). West to central British Columbia (Sumas and 

 southern Okanogan). There is a recent breeding record for Cali- 

 fornia (Eagle Lake). North to west central Alaska (Kuskokwim 

 River and the Yukon Valley), northern Mackenzie (nearly to the 

 mouth of that river). Great Slave Lake (Forts Rae and Resolution) 

 and the southwestern coasts of Hudson Bay and James Bay. 



Winter range. — Mainly in the LTnited States, entirely across the 

 continent. South casually to Cuba; commonly to South Carolina, 

 northern Florida (Leon County), the Gulf coasts of Louisiana 

 and Texas ; and less commonly or rarely to central Mexico and Lower 

 California (San Quintin). North to the Aleutian and Commander 

 Islands, the Alaska Peninsula, southern British Columbia (Okano- 

 gan Lake) , northwestern Montana (Tetlow County) , the Great Lakes 

 (Michigan, Huron, and Ontario) and the coast of Maine. 



S'pring migi-ation. — Northward and inland. Early dates of 

 arrival : Pennsylvania, Renovo, February 29 ; Massachusetts, March 

 11; Ontario, Ottawa, March 26; Illinois, Shawneetown, February 



10044&— 2.5 i 



