LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN WILD FOWL 151 



are killed. An instance of this kind occurred the 1st of November, 1890, when 

 some 400 scoters collected in the Hummuck Pond on Nantucket Island ; they 

 were composed entirely of the young of the surf and white-winged scoters, 

 only one American (a female) being obtained out of about 50 birds shot in 

 one day (November 3) by a friend and myself. On March IS, 1875, I saw on a 

 return shooting trip from the island of Muskeget to Nantucket a body of 

 scoters, comprising the three varieties, which my three companions and myself 

 estimated to contain 25,000 birds. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Breeding range. — Northern North America. East to the Atlantic ■ 

 coast of Labrador and probably Newfoundland. South nearly or 

 quite to the Gulf of St, Lawrence, to James Bay (both sides), north- 

 ern Manitoba (Churchill), northern Saskatchewan and Alberta 

 (Athabasca Lake), perhaps northern British Columbia, and to 

 southern Alaska (Sitka). West to the Bering Sea coast of Alaska 

 (Yukon delta). North to northern Alaska (Kotzebue Sound), the 

 barren grounds of Canada and northern Labrador. Said to have 

 bred in northeastern Siberia .(Tschuktschen Peninsula) and in 

 Greenland (Disco Island). 



Winter range. — Mainly on the sea coasts. On the Atlantic coast 

 from the Bay of Fundy southward to Florida (St. Lucie, Jupiter, 

 etc.), most abundantly from Massachusetts to New Jersey. On the 

 Pacific coast from tlie Aleutian Islands southward to Lower Cali- 

 fornia (San Qiiintin Bay). It winters commonly on the Great 

 Lakes and more sparingly westward to southern British Columbia 

 (Okanogan Lake) and southward rarely to Louisiana (New 

 Orleans). 



Spring migration. — Early dates of arrival : New Brunswick, April 

 10; Central Alberta, McMurray, May 14; Alaska, Kowak Iliver, 

 May 22. Late dates of departure: Louisiana, New Orleans, March 

 20; Georgia, Cumberland Island, May G; North Carolina, Pea 

 Island, May 15; Rhode Island, May 21; Massachusetts, May 9. 



Fall migration. — Early dates of arrival: Massachusetts, Septem- 

 ber 4 : Rhode Island, September 1 ; South Carolina, Mount Pleasant, 

 October 24; Minnesota, Jackson County, October 1; Idaho, Fernan 

 Lake, October 9; Colorado, Barr Lake, October 22; Utah, Bear 

 River, October 24. 



Casual records. — Three records for Bermuda (January 8, 1849, 

 October 7, 1854 and November 17, 1874). Said to have occurred in 

 Jamaica. There are numerous records for Great Britain and France, 

 three for Finland and several others for western Europe; these may 

 come from a Siberian breeding range. 



Egg dates. — Arctic Canada: Twelve records, June 19 to July 8; 

 six records, June 25 to July 1. 

 100449—25 11 



