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AETHYIA VALLISNERIA (Barrp). 
THE CANVASBACK DUCK, 
Specific Character.—Bill long and narrow the end much depressed, with 
the nail scarcely decurved, the base high with the culmen gradually sloping and 
scarcely concave; culmen nearly as long as the middle toe (without claw) and 
about three times the greatest width of the maxilla. Head and neck chestnut 
rufous. the former brownish dusky (sometimes quite blackish) anteriorly and on 
top; jugulum and anterior part of back, lower part of rump, upper tail coverts, 
and posterior part of crissum black ; back, scapulars, flanks, sides, and anal re- 
gion white, finely and delicately vermiculated with dusky ; breast and abdomen 
immaculate white. Wing coverts deep ash gray finely sprinkled with white, 
secondaries (“speculum”) lighter more bluish gray, the upper feathers edged 
with black; tertials like the longer scapulars; primaries slate colour the inner 
quills more cinerous, except at the ends where dusky, tail dusky; bill entirely 
greenish black ; iris carmine red; feet bluish gray. 
Female.—Head, neck, jugulum, and anterior part of the back raw umber 
brown; a post ocular space and the foreneck whitish; the chin, throat, and 
cheeks tinged with fulvous; wings as in the male, but coverts almost uniform 
gray; back, scapulars, sides, and flanks, with only the exposed ends of the 
feathers vermiculated with white and dusky, the remainder being grayish 
brown. Bill greenish black ; iris brownish red the feet plumbeous. 
Total length about 20.00-22.00 inches; extent 30.00; wing 9.00; culmen 
2.30; tarsus 1.70; middle toe 2.60. 
Habitat—Nearly the whole of North America breeding from the North 
Western States northward to Alaska; south in winter to Guatemala. 
This duck so famed for the qualities of its flesh, is exclusively found in 
North America. It is very like the redhead in appearance and habits but is 
superior for the table. It derives its name partly from the plant Valissneria or 
wild celery, upon which it is very fond of feeding whenever it can be found, and 
it is then that its flesh is so much prized ; at other timesitis said not to be much 
superior to that of the Redhead or Bluebill. In Ontario they are never now very 
plentiful, being found late in the season in small numbers at the Rondeau, St. 
Clair Flats, and Long Point, but like the Redhead are getting very scarce. The 
‘Canvasback duck like the Redhead and Bluebill is hunted in a peculiar way 
upon the Chesapeake by what is known as “ toling.”. The hunter has a kind of 
poodle dog trained for the purpose, and having selected a spot where the ducks 
ean swin very close to the shore the hunter having secreted himself, makes 
his dog run up and down the shore in sight of the birds which gradually ap- 
proach the shore, apparently out of curiosity, as they do so the dog is trained to 
gradually recede into the grass and to hide himself, the ducks coming quite close 
up to the shore when the hunter seizes his opportunity. Several thousands of 
ducks have been known to crowd in towards the shore ina solid mass out of 
sheer curiosity. On the Rondeau they are taken by cutting a large hole in the 
ice and piling the blocks of ice about it and among which the hunter properly 
clad is secreted. 
The Canvasback breeds in the far north principally and lays from 7 to 10 
egos of a grayish green colour. 
