CANVAS-BACK. 269 



tertials white, faintly marked with an infinite number of tranverse 

 waving li^es or points, as if done with a pencil ; whole lower parts 

 of the breast, also the belly, white, slightly pencilled in the same 

 manner, scarcely perceptible on the breast, pretty thick towards 

 the vent; wing-coverts gray, with numerous specks of blackish; 

 primaries and secondaries pale slate, two or three of the latter of 

 which nearest the body are finely edged with deep velvety black, 

 the former dusky at the tips ; tail very short, pointed, consisting 

 of fourteen feathers of a hoary brown ; vent and tail-coverts black ; 

 lining of the wing white; legs and feet very pale ash, the latter 

 three inches in width, a circumstance which partly accounts for 

 its great powers of swimming. 



" The female is somewhat less than the male, and weighs two 

 pounds and three-quarters.* The crown is blackish-brown ; cheeks 

 and throat of a pale drab ; neck dull brown ; breast, as far as the 

 black extends on the male, dull brown, skirted in places with pale 

 drab; back dusky white, pencilled like the back; wings, feet, and 

 bill as in the male; tail-coverts dusky; vent white, waved with 

 brown." 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



Very little or nothing is known of the canvas-back during the 

 period of incubation ; in fact, the history of the whole duck tribe 

 during this interesting season is but little known, as they retire at 

 the breaking up of winter to the far regions of the Arctic, and 

 there, in those solitudes never trod by the wandering footsteps of 

 man, they unmolested breed and rear their young. 



Audubon, however, informs us that they breed in considerable 

 numbers on the borders of Bear River, in Upper California ; also 



December 17, 1849. 



* We are just in receipt of two couples of canvas-backs, from the Chesapeake, 

 the aggregate weight of which is twelve pounds and a half, being three pounds and 

 an eighth to each fowl ; as they are paired, male and female, the weight is rather 

 unusual. We occasionally hear of a seven-pound couple ; but such ducks are very 

 rare, even in the height of the season. We have seen some couples that weighed 

 within a fraction of eight pounds ; but such are still more rare. 



