THE WINTER DUCK. 333 



United States, as it has its habitat, during a considerable 

 portion of the year, on waters within their frontiers, and 

 is well-known in the north western regions by the name 

 prefixed to this paper, "Winter-Duck," or among the 

 Canadian French as the Canard cPhiver, being the 

 synonym of the term above used. By the Ojibwa 

 Indians, of Nottawasaga Bay, and the Matchedash, it is 

 known as the "Big Widgeon" a most inappropriate 

 name, as, beside that it bears no earthly resemblance 

 to the proper widgeon, it entirely differs from that bird 

 in seasons and habits the Widgeon or Bald-Pate being 

 a summer resident in the north-west and migrating to 

 the sea-coast southward during the cold, winter months. 

 This bird, on the contrary, comes down, as it would 

 appear, late in the fall, from the extreme north, and 

 winters on the great unfrozen lakes, its southern limit of 

 migration not varying much, so far as I can judge, from 

 the forty-fifth degree of north latitude. 



My first sight of this bird was during a visit to the 

 northern shores of Lake Huron and the great Georgian 

 Bay, in company with Lieut. F. 0. Herbert, command- 

 ing H. M. steam sloop, " Mohawk," then stationed at 

 Penetanguishine. Immediately on entering that beau- 

 tiful little harbor on a bright morning early in Septem- 

 ber, before the steamer was at her moorings, a Potawat- 

 tomie Indian, who could speak no English, came along- 

 side in his bark canoe, with some wild-fowl for sale, 

 which were bought, and handed on deck for inspection. 



