SECOND BIENNIAL REPORT [W. VA. 



ing their kind. And so, though I shall not pass by the other great groups of 

 game birds, I shall speak at greater length of those birds that are included in 

 the other Gallinae. 



" Taking up these orders and families according to the arrangement adopted 

 by the American Ornithologists' Union, we come, first of all, to the Anatidae. 

 In the terminology of bird students this is the name of a family which in- 

 cludes such well known species as ducks, geese and swans. My list of West 

 Virginia Anatidae, brought up-to-date, comprises twenty-two species of ducks, 

 three species of geese, one species of brant, and two species of swans, though 

 some of my records have been made with a degree of doubt. These various 

 kinds of ducks, geese and swans are given below, with brief annotations. But, 

 before I begin the discussion of this family, I wish to acknowledge my indebt- 

 edness to Messrs. T. A. Morgan and A. Sidney Morgan and T. Z. Atkeson, who 

 have studied the water fowl of this state for many years along the Great 

 Kanawha and Monongahela rivers, and have gained a knowledge of such birds 

 which is worthy of all commendation. The Morgan brothers have come to be 

 very familiar with the habits of ducks and other birds which haunt the rivers 

 and marshes of south-central West Virginia. In these men we see an example 

 of what may be accomplished, even in boyhood days on a farm, by close obser- 

 vation and constant application to some task in hand. And now I give the list 

 of ducks, geese and swans which I have compiled by my own efforts, and by 

 references to the observations of many others. 



' ' 1. American Merganser. Mr. Thad Surber, who has given attention to 

 some of the water fowls in the southeastern part of the state, says: "Common 

 during winter. Seen on Greenbrier river.' The Morgan brothers say, 'Have 

 killed three.' 



"2. Eed-breasted Merganser. Very rare. In all their hunting along the 

 Great Kanawha, the Morgan brothers have taken but one specimen. While a 

 student in the West Virginia University, I examined a part of a specimen of 

 the Eed-breasted Merganser which had been killed somewhere in the 'Eastern 

 Pan-handle,' and sent to the Experiment Station for identification. 



"3. Hooded Merganser. By far the most common of the fish duckg. 

 Recorded from many parts of the state. 



"4. Mallard. This progenitor of our common domestic duck is found 

 along all our water courses. 



' ' 5. Black Duck. Mr. G. Eifrig, in his most excellent notes on the birds 

 found in the northern part of Mineral county and along the Potomac river 

 near Cumberland, gives several records of the occurrence of this species. Re- 

 corded by Surber, Doan and Morgan brothers. 



' ' 6. Gadwall. Rare. 



' ' 7. Baldpate. The Morgan brothers have taken many birds of this 

 species, 



"8. Green-winged Teal. Not very common. Occurs occasionally in the 

 migration seasons. 



1 ' 9. Blue-winged Teal. Far more common than the other teal. 

 ' ' 10. Shoveller. The Morgan brothers report that they have seen flocks of 

 fifteen or twenty along the Great Kanawha. 

 "11. Pin-tail. Rather common. 

 ' ' 12. Wood Duck. This beautiful duck is the only one that breeds in West 



