﻿200 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  rather 
  brownish; 
  belly 
  white. 
  Yovmg 
  and 
  males 
  in 
  eclipse: 
  Resemble 
  

   the 
  females 
  but 
  the 
  white 
  markings 
  about 
  the 
  eye 
  and 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  bill 
  

   continue 
  to 
  distinguish 
  the 
  latter. 
  

  

  Length 
  18-20 
  inches; 
  extent 
  27-30; 
  wing 
  8.5-9.6; 
  tail 
  4.3-4.75; 
  bill 
  

   1. 
  35-1. 
  45; 
  tarsus 
  1.4; 
  middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw 
  2. 
  

  

  Distribution. 
  The 
  Wood 
  duck 
  or 
  Summer 
  duck 
  was 
  formerly 
  a 
  com- 
  

   mon 
  summer 
  resident 
  throughout 
  the 
  State, 
  and 
  undoubtedly 
  bred 
  in 
  every 
  

   county. 
  At 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  fairly 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  most 
  favorable 
  

   localities, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  marshes 
  bordering 
  on 
  Seneca 
  river 
  and 
  the 
  eastern 
  

   and 
  southern 
  shores 
  of 
  Lake 
  Ontario. 
  There 
  are 
  still 
  sufficient 
  birds 
  that 
  

   visit 
  the 
  State 
  each 
  season 
  to 
  propagate 
  and 
  replenish 
  the 
  depleted 
  coverts 
  

   of 
  this 
  beautiful 
  species, 
  wherever 
  they 
  are 
  left 
  undisturbed 
  from 
  the 
  time 
  

   of 
  their 
  arri\'al 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  breeding 
  season. 
  But 
  constant 
  persecution 
  

   during 
  the 
  spring 
  and 
  summer 
  had 
  nearly 
  brought 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  verge 
  of 
  

   extermination 
  when 
  the 
  law 
  prohibiting 
  spring 
  shooting 
  was 
  passed 
  in 
  

   1902. 
  Now 
  in 
  western 
  New 
  York, 
  at 
  least, 
  the 
  Wood 
  duck 
  is 
  holding 
  its 
  

   own 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  tremendous 
  slaughter 
  which 
  initiates 
  the 
  shooting 
  each 
  

   fall, 
  and 
  we 
  believe 
  the 
  species 
  will 
  be 
  preserved 
  if 
  the 
  spring 
  shooting 
  is 
  

   abolished 
  in 
  the 
  eastern 
  states, 
  and 
  the 
  law 
  strictly 
  enforced 
  throughout 
  

   the 
  close 
  season. 
  

  

  Migration. 
  The 
  Wood 
  duck 
  arrives 
  from 
  the 
  south 
  March 
  15th 
  to 
  

   the 
  first 
  of 
  April 
  and 
  remains 
  in 
  our 
  State 
  throughout 
  the 
  summer, 
  but 
  is 
  

   more 
  common 
  and 
  more 
  generally 
  distributed 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  

   April, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  dtuing 
  September, 
  than 
  it 
  is 
  through 
  the 
  summer 
  

   months, 
  indicating 
  that 
  a 
  considerable 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  which 
  are 
  observed 
  

   here 
  are 
  summer 
  residents 
  of 
  more 
  northern 
  districts. 
  The 
  author 
  found 
  

   this 
  bird 
  common 
  on 
  the 
  cranberry 
  marshes 
  of 
  Lake 
  Restoul 
  and 
  neighbor- 
  

   ing 
  waters 
  in 
  Parry 
  sound 
  district, 
  Canada, 
  but 
  rare 
  on 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  

   lakes, 
  indicating 
  as 
  it 
  seemed 
  to 
  him 
  that 
  this 
  bird 
  prefers 
  a 
  home 
  which 
  

   is 
  undisturbed 
  and 
  can 
  not 
  survive 
  the 
  destruction 
  which 
  almost 
  inevitably 
  

   follows 
  in 
  the 
  wake 
  of 
  thoughtless 
  summer 
  tourists 
  and 
  fishermen. 
  In 
  the 
  

   fall 
  it 
  leaves 
  us 
  late 
  in 
  October 
  or 
  November 
  and 
  occasionally 
  is 
  taken 
  as 
  

   late 
  as 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  December. 
  

  

  