﻿204 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  body 
  black; 
  back, 
  scapulars, 
  wing 
  coverts 
  and 
  under 
  parts 
  grayish 
  white 
  

   lightly 
  marked 
  with 
  fine 
  black 
  vermiculations, 
  excepting 
  belly 
  w^hich 
  is 
  

   mostly 
  plain; 
  rump, 
  tail 
  coverts 
  and 
  tail 
  blackish; 
  wing 
  feathers 
  grayish, 
  

   the 
  secondaries 
  pearly 
  gray 
  ; 
  bill 
  blackish 
  ; 
  feet 
  grayish 
  blue 
  ; 
  iris 
  red. 
  Female: 
  

   Upper 
  parts 
  grayish 
  brown, 
  showing 
  traces 
  of 
  gray 
  and 
  black 
  wavings; 
  

   sides 
  of 
  head 
  and 
  neck 
  tinged 
  with 
  rusty 
  or 
  reddish 
  brown 
  ; 
  throat 
  and 
  fore- 
  

   neck 
  mostly 
  plain 
  grayish. 
  Yottng 
  like 
  female. 
  

  

  Length 
  20-24 
  inches; 
  extent 
  34-36; 
  wing 
  g; 
  tail 
  3; 
  tarsus 
  i. 
  6-1. 
  75; 
  

   middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw 
  3; 
  bill, 
  length 
  2.25-2.5, 
  depth 
  at 
  base 
  1.12 
  ; 
  weight 
  2-3 
  

   pounds. 
  

  

  Remarks. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  excuse 
  for 
  confusing 
  the 
  Canvasback 
  with 
  the 
  

   Redhead 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  by 
  reference 
  to 
  plate 
  16. 
  The 
  Canvasback 
  drake 
  

   is 
  much 
  lighter 
  in 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  body, 
  the 
  neck 
  is 
  a 
  darker 
  red 
  and 
  the 
  face 
  

   smoky. 
  He 
  is 
  also 
  of 
  longer 
  build 
  than 
  the 
  Redhead. 
  The 
  females 
  and 
  

   young 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  species 
  are 
  more 
  similar 
  in 
  coloration, 
  and 
  the 
  best 
  mark 
  

   is 
  the 
  profile 
  of 
  the 
  bill 
  and 
  forehead, 
  which 
  rises 
  gradually 
  from 
  the 
  nostril 
  

   to 
  the 
  crown 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  in 
  the 
  Canvasback, 
  but 
  shows 
  a 
  decided 
  "break" 
  

   at 
  the 
  feather-line 
  in 
  the 
  Redhead. 
  

  

  Throughout 
  the 
  Hudson-Champlain 
  valley 
  and 
  the 
  coastal 
  region 
  of 
  

   New 
  York 
  the 
  Canvasback 
  is 
  a 
  rare 
  migrant 
  and 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  common 
  duck 
  

   in 
  any 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  Occasionally, 
  however, 
  it 
  has 
  visited 
  the 
  

   central 
  lakes, 
  especially 
  Canandaigua, 
  Keuka, 
  Cayuga, 
  and 
  Seneca, 
  in 
  large 
  

   numbers. 
  The 
  winters 
  of 
  1897-98 
  and 
  the 
  three 
  following 
  winters 
  were 
  

   remarkable 
  for 
  the 
  large 
  flocks 
  of 
  canvasbacks 
  which 
  appeared 
  about 
  

   the 
  ist 
  of 
  December 
  on 
  these 
  waters 
  and 
  remained 
  until 
  early 
  in 
  March. 
  

   On 
  Canandaigua 
  lake 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  nearly 
  1000 
  canvasbacks 
  passed 
  a 
  large 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  winter, 
  and 
  on 
  Keuka 
  lake 
  flocks 
  of 
  200 
  birds 
  Vv^ere 
  frequently 
  

   seen. 
  In 
  February 
  1899 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  ducks 
  were 
  killed 
  on 
  Canandaigua 
  

   lake 
  about 
  the 
  air 
  holes 
  which 
  remained 
  open. 
  Most 
  of 
  those 
  killed 
  were 
  

   in 
  poor 
  flesh 
  and 
  some 
  were 
  picked 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  ice 
  in 
  a 
  starving 
  condition. 
  

   During 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  years 
  there 
  have 
  been 
  fewer 
  canvasbacks 
  in 
  winter, 
  

   but 
  they 
  occur 
  in 
  limited 
  numbers 
  as 
  regular 
  migrants 
  from 
  the 
  ist 
  to 
  the 
  

   20th 
  of 
  April 
  and 
  from 
  October 
  20th 
  to 
  November 
  15th. 
  On 
  Long 
  Island 
  

   Mr 
  Dutcher's 
  Notes 
  show 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  rare 
  migrant 
  from 
  February 
  14th 
  to 
  

   April 
  6th 
  and 
  from 
  October 
  12th 
  to 
  December 
  nth. 
  

  

  