172 IT. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 217 



be settled in the Valley, mostly seen along the river, was slightly less 

 than the number of scaup. The obviously migrating widgeons were 

 estimated as much fewer than the migrating flights of pintails and 

 white- winged scoters. 



Porsild (1943) reported widgeons as "perhaps the most common 

 duck in the Mackenzie Delta." They nest commonly across Arctic 

 Yukon, but not on the Arctic coast (Rand, 1946), and across interior 

 Arctic Alaska. The Indians know them as Kaloree, 



Spatula clypeata (Linnaeus) 



Shovelers were recognized by the Indians from illustrations, and 

 Joe Kay described the duck and named it Tetrik. Its description was 

 also recognized by several other Indians, who usually see shovelers in 

 summer on the lakes of Crow Flats. They are known to Eskimos and 

 Indians across arctic Alaska and Yukon, but rather by their unusual 

 appearance than for commonness. According to Porsild (1943) the 

 Eskimos said that shovelers nested in the Mackenzie Delta, and 

 Indians reported them nesting on Crow Flats. 



Aythya marila nearctica (Stejneger) 



Imale June 13 weight 917 g. medium fat ^testes 11x31, 12x29 



mm. 



Although a number of the scaup seen were thought to be A. marila 

 only the specimen taken was identified satisfactorily by sight. Since 

 its testes were only about as large as those of teal, they were probably 

 less than breeding size, but the date was late enough for some regres- 

 sion to have occurred. Joe Kay recognized the specimen and dis- 

 tinguished it by name as Tani cJiOs We believe that greater scaup 

 are regularly present in summer and probably nest along Porcupine 

 River, but that they are uncommon m comparison with lesser scaup. 



Porsild (1943) reported the gi-eater scaup an "infrequent summer 

 resident and no doubt breeding" in the Mackenzie Delta. Rand ( 1946) 

 reported only one specimen from Yukon taken by Nelson at Fort 

 Reliance, and referred to Swarth's (1927) opinion that a few sight 

 records from southern Yukon should not be accepted as distinguishing 

 marila from a-fflnis. Greater scaup are probably not one tenth as 

 frequent at Old Crow as lesser scaup, but the proportion at Anaktu- 

 vuk is about reversed. Judging from the few reports of greater 

 scaup in southern Yukon and on the arctic coast, the Porcupine is 

 the important arctic connection between the large Alaskan and 

 Mackenzie Valley nesting populations. 



During September 1958, of about 25 scaup shot and examined at Old 

 Crow only one was A. marila^ the others were aifims. 



