THE WINTER DUCK. 353 
United States, as it has its habitat, during a considerable 
portion of the year, on waters within their frontiers, and 
is well-known in the north western regions by the name 
prefixed to this paper, “ Winter-Duck,” or among the 
Canadian French as the Canard @ hiver, being the 
synonym of the term above used. By the Ojibwa 
Indians, of Nottawasaga Bay, and the Matchedash, it is 
known as the “Big Widgeon”—a most inappropriate 
name, as, beside that it bears no earthly resemblance 
to the proper widgeon, it entirely differs from that bird 
in seasons and habits—the Widgeon or Bald-Pate being 
a summer resident in the north-west and migrating to 
the sea-coast southward during the cold, winter months. 
This bird, on the contrary, comes down, as it would 
appear, late in the fall, from the extreme north, and 
winters on the great unfrozen lakes, its southern limit of 
migration not varying much, so far as I can judge, from 
the forty-fifth degree of north latitude. 
My first sight of this bird was during a visit to the 
northern shores of Lake Huron and the great Georgian 
Bay, in company with Lieut. F. ©. Herbert, command- 
ing H. M. steam sloop, “ Mohawk,” then stationed at 
Penetanguishine. Immediately on entering that beau- 
tiful little harbor on a bright morning early in Septem- 
ber, before the steamer was at her moorings, a Potawat- 
tomie Indian, who could speak no English, came along- 
side in his bark canoe, with some wild-fowl for sale, 
which were bought, and handed on deck for inspection. 
