1910 J Fay, The Canvas-hack in Massachusetts. 379 



With this big increase in the flight of Canvas-backs during the 

 fall migration it will be interesting to look for the cause, for there 

 must be some fundamental reason. Undoubtedly the best place 

 to begin investigations is on their breeding grounds, and from there 

 follow them on their fall migration to their winter feeding grounds 

 in order to see not only what are the general routes taken, but also 

 how and why the North Atlantic coast is reached. 



As we all know, they breed in the west central interior of Canada, 

 principally in the region lying east of the Rocky Mountains, rang- 

 ing as far as the 100th meridian. Of course their breeding grounds 

 cover more territory than this, but the center of abundance seems 

 to lie within this area. From here they start on their south, 

 southeastern and eastern migrations in early fall, and in general two 

 main routes seem to be taken; one, south, spreading out on crossing 

 over into the United States and splitting into two routes — the 

 first, due south across country to Texas and Mexico, the second, 

 down the ^lissouri and Mississippi valleys to Louisiana and Texas. 

 The second main course is easterly following the border between this 

 country and Canada and across the Great Lakes. This is the 

 only one that interests us, for it is by this route that it reaches the 

 North Atlantic coast and Massachusetts. 



Early in October the flocks begin crossing Lake Erie, and here 

 the easterly course of this main body seems to terminate, for they 

 now take a more southerly direction, by which they reach the 

 region about Chesapeake Bay and the sounds further south on the 

 coast of North Carolina. However, some birds seem to continue 

 this easterly course, coming directly across the northern part of 

 Massachusetts. Because most of the birds are killed south of 

 Boston it may be that the flight, after all, strikes the coast at this 

 point. Still, I think not, for recent records north of Boston 

 show there has been a flight there as well. On reaching the coast 

 at this point they then turn south, stopping off at suitable feeding 

 grounds, and because they are better and larger in the ponds of 

 Martha's Vineyard the majority settle there, attracted further by 

 the large beds of Scaups and Redheads. A less probable theory 

 would be, that, crossing New York State (which they do, for some 

 are taken and seen regularly in the larger lakes such as Cayuga) 

 they strike Long Island Sound and reach Massachusetts from 



