"sq^'l Dutcher on the Labrador Duck. £ 



season, and the last known to the present writer to have lived 

 was killed by Col. Wedderbnrn in Halifax harbour in the autumn 

 of 1852. 1 This bird, the Anas labradoria of the older ornithol- 

 ogists, was nearly allied to the Eider Duck, and like that species 

 used to breed on rocky islets, where it was safe from the depre- 

 dations of foxes and other carnivorous quadrupeds. This safety 

 was, however, unavailing when man began yearly to visit its 

 breeding-haunts, and, not content in plundering its nests, merci- 

 lessly to shoot the birds. Most of such islets are, of course, 

 easily ransacked and depopulated. Having no asylum to turn 

 to, for the shores of the mainland were infested by the four-footed 

 enemies just mentioned, and (unlike some of its congeners) it 

 had not a high northern range, its fate is easily understood." 



My remarks may be divided into two heads : first, proof as to 

 the date when the last living specimen was shot, and, second, the 

 cause of the extinction of the species. 



Date of capttire of the last living specimen. — Professor 

 Newton claims that "the last known to him to have lived was 

 killed in Halifax harbour in the autumn of 1S52," and in his foot 

 note he refers to three specimens recorded in my 'Revised List' 

 as "•supposed to have been obtained between 1S57 ant ^ J S6i ; but 

 the information of the former owner of two of them points to an 

 earlier time, and that respecting the third is somewhat vague. 

 Still more uncertain are the rumours ... of examples said to 

 have been obtained in 1S71 and 1S7S, but since lost. If they 

 could be recovered a mistake would probably be found to have 

 been made." 



1 "It is needless to observe that no one at that time had any notion of its approach- 

 ing extinction. The skin of this example is in Canon Tristram's collection, its ster- 

 num, which was figured by Rowley (Orn. Miscell. pp. 205-223), is in the Cambridge 

 Museum. Mr. Dutcher (Auk, 1891, pp. 208, 211), reports three specimens supposed 

 to have been obtained between 1857 and 1861 ; but the information of the former 

 owner of two of them points to an earlier time, and that respecting the third is some- 

 what vague. Still more uncertain are the rumours, though properly printed by him 

 (pp. 214, 215), of examples said to have been obtained in 1871 and 1878, but since 

 lost. If they could be recovered, a mistake would probably be found to have been 

 made. Modern American authors profess their inability to explain the extirpation of 

 this species. I have little doubt that the cause mentioned in the text and published 

 by me in 1875 is the true one. The shooting down of nesting-birds, witnessed by 

 Audubon when he was among the islands of the Labrador coast, and year by year 

 carried on with increasing intensity, could produce no other result." 



