VOl iS VI ] Dwight, Black Duck of North America. 425 



shot at various dates in April and all had red legs. However, it was 

 not until the present year that I secured the last link required in my 

 chain of evidence. Through the courtesy of the Forest, Fish and 

 Game Commission of New York State special permission was 

 granted and an adult male, killed on Long Island, June 11, 1909, 

 came fresh into my hands. This bird has the red legs and other 

 characters supposed to belong to the northern 'race' alone, and 

 should set at rest any lurking belief in the subspeeific distinctness 

 of rubripes. The specimen is in full postnuptial moult, and evi- 

 dently was recently mated. 



The opera-glass contingent seems to have missed an opportunity 

 for making observations that would be of value, because some of 

 them must have had a chance to see the color of the legs of summer 

 ducks. I have noticed, without a glass, that the wild birds breeding 

 about the Central Park lakes in New York City have red legs, but 

 such evidence, derived from semi-domesticated water-fowl, is not 

 convincing in itself alone. I would also call attention to the falli- 

 bility of trained gunners when a question of scientific importance 

 is at stake. The very man who shot my June bird had previously 

 assured me that the summer birds of Long Island did not have red 

 legs ! Yet, he like many other gunners knew there were two kinds 

 of Black Ducks in winter. 



Summed up in brief, the evidence shows that all young birds, 

 both in Canada and along the Atlantic Coast of the United States, 

 have brownish legs, while breeding adults from the same localities 

 have red ones. Under these circumstances the 'Red-legged Black 

 Duck' as a subspecies does not appear to have a leg left to stand 

 on — not even a red one. If an ornithologist of Mr. Brewster's 

 ability can go astray in his conclusions, what may not the rest of us 

 do? His two articles should be read afresh to understand how 

 easy it was to take the wrong path, and the episode should be a 

 warning object lesson for all describers to take to heart. Now at 

 last after much expenditure of energy the Black Duck (Anas ru- 

 bripes) remains an undivided species ranging over eastern North 

 America, and we have only to regret the loss of its time honored 

 name obscura for which at present there seems to be no help. 



The Florida Duck (Anas fulvigula), with its southwestern race 

 maculosa, seems to be specifically distinct. It has a black marking 



