LIFE HTSTOKIES OF XORTH AMERICAN WILD FOWL. 77 



mallard. In Assam it appears singly or in pairs, more rarely in small parties. But 

 in northern China, Prjevalsky (1878) speaks of their arriving on spring migration in 

 large numbers and associating very commonl)- with other species of ducks. 



The voice of the male is a short low trilliiig whistle (Walton, 1903), or, according 

 to Prjevalsky (1878), a " tolerably loud and piercing whistle ." Although I have never 

 heard the note myself I gather from Heinroth's (1911) account that it is decidedly 

 teallike. The note of the female is the typical mallardlike quack, said to be five 

 times repeated (Finn, ]915). 



Game. — Even to this day these birds are probably little disturbed over the greater 

 ptirt of the breeding area. But along the coasts of Japan and southern China they are 

 undoubtedly hunted on an increasingly large scale. Great numbers were killed in 

 the Pekin region over 40 years ago, especially in spring (David and Oustalet, 1877), 

 and more recently a great many have been shipped from Hankow to the markets of 

 Europe (Ghidini, 1911). 



Fall. — In autumn they leave early, disappearing from the Amur region evidently 

 in late September and early October. According to Dybowski (1868) some stay in 

 Dauria till late December. It is an interesting fact that of the specimens taken in 

 Burma and India a great majority are females (Finn, 1909). 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Breeding range. — Eastern Siberia. East to Kamchatka, probably 

 the Commander Islands (Bering Ishmd), the Kurile Islands and 

 northern Japan (Yez7.o). South on the mainland to the vicinity of 

 Vladivostok and to approximately the northern border of Mongolia. 

 West nearly, if not quite, to the upper Yenesei River. North to about 

 G5° N., not quite to the Arctic Circle. 



Wint^'r range. — Southeastern Asia. East to Japan. South to the 

 Japanese Archipelago, Formosa, southern Cliina, Burma, and north 

 central India (Delhi). The western and northern limits seem to be 

 not well determined. 



Casual records. — Rare straggler to Europe; specimens have been 

 taken in Sweden, 1853, Hungary, 1839, and Bohemia. One taken on 

 St. George Island, Bering Sea, on April 18, 1917. 



CHAULELASMUS STREPERUS (Linnaeus). 

 GAS WALL. 



HABITS. 



The arrival of the ducks on their breeding grounds in the great 

 \vildfo\vl nurseries of northwest Canada is a spectacular performance. 

 I shall neA^er forget the sights I saw, one cold, rainy day, June 13, 

 1905, as I walked down toward the great sloughs at the head of Crane 

 Lake, Saskatchewan; hundreds of ducks arose from the wet meadows, 

 from the sloughs, and from an island in the lake, flying around in 

 great loose flocks; a great cloud of them rose, like a swarm of mos- 

 quitoes, from the mouth of Bear Creek; most of them weregadwalls, 

 but there were also large numbers of canvasbacks, redheads, shovel- 

 lers, and blue-v/inged teal, as well as lesser numbers of lesser scaups, 



