THE RED-HEAD DUCK. 



IN MANY points of structure and 

 habits Sea Ducks, of which this 

 is a specimen, may be distin- 

 guished from Fresh Water 

 Ducks by the presence of a lobe 

 or little flap of skin on the lower side of 

 the hind toe. The legs of the former 

 are also placed farther behind, and 

 they are thus better fitted for swim- 

 ming, though not so well adapted for 

 walking or running on land. The 

 feathers of Sea Ducks are more dense 

 also, and they are all provided with a 

 quantity of thick down next to the 

 skin, which is of no small commercial 

 value. 



The difference in the habits of the 

 two species is no less striking. The 

 latter dive for their food, which the 

 former never do; they are chiefly 

 maritime in their distribution, al- 

 though all, or nearly all, retire to fresh 

 water lakes to raise their young. 



The Red-head is said not to be 

 common along the coast of New Eng- 

 land, but in the winter months is 

 found in considerable numbers along 

 the south shore of Long Island. It is 

 extremely abundant south of that 

 point, and particularly so in Chesa- 

 peake Bay, where immense numbers 

 are killed each season. Where it is 

 enabled to feed on the well known 

 wild celery its flesh is said to be fully 

 equal in flavor to that of the Canvas 

 Back. Both in spring and fall it is 

 an extremely abundant migrant in the 

 Western States. It generally reaches 

 northern Illinois, says Hallock, in its 

 spring passage about the last of March, 

 remaining until the latter part of April. 

 On its return journey late in October, 



it remains on the rivers, lakes, and 

 sloughs until the cold weather, by 

 freezing up its feeding grounds, forces 

 it to go farther south. It is altogether 

 probable that a few of these birds 

 breed in the Rocky Mountain regions 

 within the limits of the United States, 

 but they usually continue northward 

 to their regular breeding grounds, 

 which extend from Wisconsin, Michi- 

 gan, and others of the northern tier of 

 states, to the fur countries. 



The Red-head was found nesting on 

 the St. Clair Flats, Michigan, by Mr. 

 W. H. Collins, who, in describing 

 some of its breeding habits, says: " I 

 had the good fortune to find two nests 

 of this bird containing respectively 

 seven and eight eggs. The first was 

 placed on some drifted rushes on a 

 sunken log, and was composed of flags 

 and rushes evidently taken from the 

 pile of drift upon the log, as they were 

 short pieces, so short, in fact, that the 

 nest when lifted with the hands fell 

 in pieces. The nest was four inches 

 deep and lined with down from the 

 female. This nest contained seven 

 fresh eggs of a creamy color, varied in 

 measurements and of a uniform oval 

 shape, very little smaller at one end. 

 The other nest was built similar to a 

 Coot's nest; that is, of flags and grass 

 interwoven at the base of a bunch of 

 flags growing in water three or four 

 feet deep. It was built in such a way 

 that the nest would rise and fall with 

 the water." 



The food of the Red-head consists 

 of mollusks, shell-fish, and the seeds 

 and roots of aquatic plants. 



150 



