480 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA^THOMPSON. 



in g much earlier, the first frost driving them out (Nash). Carberry: 

 Tolerably common summer resident; breeding; Souris Plain, Turtle 

 Mountain, Fingerboard, near Rapid City (Thompson). Dalton: 1889, 

 first seen, about ten, on March 21; seenevery day afterwards; became 

 common on March 23; breeds here (Youmans). Brandon : April 9, 1882 

 (Wood). Breeding ou the prairies south of Pipestone Creek (Macoun). 

 Shell Eiver : 1885, first seen, four, on April 20, afterwards seen every 

 day, male and female ; is common all summer and breeds here (Calcutt). 

 Qu'Appelle: Common summer resident; breeds April 5 to 15 (Guern- 

 sey). Trout Lake Station and Severn House (Murray). 



31. Aix sponsa. Wood Duck, 



Eare summer resident; several small flocks in latter part of Septem- 

 ber, north of Red Eiver, in Minnesota, feeding on wild rice (Kenuicott). 

 Eat Portage : October 10, 1886, found the head of a male Wood Duck 

 lying on the shore (Thompson). Winnipeg: Summer resident; rare 

 (Hine). I have seen the Wood Duck {Aix sponsa) at Westbourne, and 

 it is always to be found along Cook's Creek, east of Winnipeg (Bun 

 ter). Portage la Prairie: A rare and local summer resident, but I think 

 increasing; previous to September 21, 1884, I never saw any in this 

 neighborhood, though I had heard that a few pairs always bred ou tbe 

 White Mud Eiver, near Westbourne, on that day; I saw two on the 

 Assiniboine the following year ; two or three broods were raised here, 

 out of which, in September, I shot several, and on the 9th of October I 

 killed one of the handsomest drakes I have ever seen ; its plumage was 

 sim]>ly perfect (Nash). Observed on Lake Wiunepegosis by Mr. T^r- 

 rell (Macoun). Carberry: A single pair taken in 1883 (Thompson). 

 Qu'Appelle : I know of one being shot here in five years (Guerosey). A 

 male killed at Cumberland House, June, 1827 ( U'ichardson). Mr. Hine, 

 of Winnipeg, showed me some fine specimens taken at Lake Winnipeg; 

 he described it as regular, though not common, in the mouths of such 

 creeks as flow through the heavy timber into Lake Winnipeg; Devils' 

 Creek is a favorite place, and here they are found feeding largely on 

 the wild potato which grows on the overhanging banks, so that the 

 bird may gather it without leaving the water; Hudson's Bay; Moose 

 Factory ; Trout Lake Station (Murray). 



32. Aythya americana. Red head. 



Common summer resident ; breeding abundantly throughout the region 

 along the boundary from Pembina to the Eockies (Cones). Swamp 

 Island: Breeds here; last seen September 11 (Plunkett). Wiunepeg; 

 summer resident; abundant (Hine). Breeding at Oak Point Lake, 

 Manitoba, Shoal Lake, and Selkirk Settlement (D. Gunn). Portage la 

 Prairie: Abundant; summer resident; breeding in all the lakes and 

 large sloughs ; I have frequently shot flappers on the 15th of August ; 

 they arrive as soon as the rivers are open and stay until no open water 



