254 lewis' AMERICAN SPORTSMAN". 



done witli 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 ; wdng- 

 co verts 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 ; tale very short, pointed, consisting of four- 

 teen 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 Canvass-Back during 

 the period of incubation ; in fact, the history of the whole race 

 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 foot- 

 steps of man, they unmolested breed and rear their young, 



Audubon, however, informs us that they breed in consider- 

 able numbers on the borders of Bear River, in Upper Califor- 

 -nia; also in the marshes and along the banks of streams in 

 many parts of the Eocky Mountains. 



December 17, 1849. 

 * We are just in receipt of two couples of Canvass-Backs, from the Chesa- 

 peake, 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. 



