No. 16.] BIRD NAMES. 47 



goodly numbers, but it is not a common species anywhere near 

 our Eastern coast north of Delaware ; and in E'ew England it is 

 rare. 



A friend ^vho has spent much time at Norfolk, Ya., informs 

 me that a majority of the Norfolk epicures consider this bird 

 better eating when it first arrives from the North than it is at 

 any other time. This is antagonistic with the popular belief 

 that the " wild celery " of the Chesapeake region does so much 

 to improve the bird's flavor. 



"Wilson, who first described this species (scientifically), tells 

 us (1814) of its being called CANVAS-BACK on the Susquehanna, 

 WHITE-BACK on the Potomac, and SHELDRAKE (see Nos. 20, 

 21, 22) on the James. Jefferson, in his Notes on Virginia (ed. 

 1788), mentions " Sheldrach, or Canvas-back ;" and the name 

 " White-back " is still a familiar one to duckers on the Potomac, 

 at least to those about Washington and Alexandria. 



Wilson tells us also of a wdieat-laden vessel wrecked near 

 Great Egg Harbor, N. J., and how the floating grain attracted 

 vast numbers of these birds, which, being unknown to the local 

 gunners, were denominated " sea-duck " simply ; and Ord adds, 

 in his reprint of Wilson, that in the neighborhood of Phila- 

 delphia hunters were in the habit of supplying the market with 

 this duck, under the name of " Ked-head," or " Red-neck " (see 

 No. 16), and that " their ignorance of its being the true Canvas- 

 back was cunningly fostered by our neighbors of the Chesa- 

 peake, who boldly asserted that only their waters were favored 

 with this species." Audubon speaks of Southern epicures send- 

 ing to Baltimore for Canvas-back, not knowing that they could 

 be obtained near home. " I well remember," he writes, "that on 

 my pointing out to a friend, now alas, dead, several dozens of 

 these birds in the market of Savannah, he would scarcely believe 

 that I was not mistaken, and assured me that they w^ere looked 

 upon as poor, dry and fishy." But now, this " over-rated and 



tains further south, and in upper California; winters in the United States, and 

 southward to Guatemala." — Coues. 



