LESSER SCAUP. 47 



breed in northern Indiana (Kewanna, English Lake), southern Wis- 

 consin (Delavan, Lake Koshkonong), northern Iowa (Spirit Lake, 

 Clear Lake), northern Nebraska (probably in Cherry County), Mon- 

 tana (common), and central British Columbia (Cariboo district). The 

 species is rather rare on the Pacific coast and seems to have been 

 found only once on the coast of Alaska (Portage Bay, near Chilkat 

 River), though not rare inland on the Yukon River, breeding as far 

 north as Circle City. The principal breeding range of the lesser scaup 

 is the interior of Canada, from northern North Dakota and northern 

 Montana to the edge of the timber near the Arctic coast in the Ander- 

 son River and the Mackenzie River regions. 



Migration range. — The route of migration in the fall evidently 

 tends toward the southeast, for at this season the species is not uncom- 

 mon in New England, and is a rare visitant of Nova Scotia and even 

 of Newfoundland, and is accidental in Greenland and the Bermudas. 



Winter range. — The southeastward movement just mentioned brings 

 a large number of lesser scaups to the South Atlantic States, from 

 Maryland southward; indeed, in Florida it is one of the commonest 

 ducks, and continues to be common as far south as the Bahamas, the 

 Greater Antilles, and east to St. Croix, St. Thomas, Virgin Gorda, 

 St. Lucia, and Trinidad. It is not rare in Panama and Costa Rica, 

 while it is abundant in Guatemala, Yucatan, Mexico, and Lower Cali- 

 fornia, and less common on the Pacific slope north to southern British 

 Columbia. The species remains north in winter, on the Atlantic coast 

 as far as New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and in the interior as far as 

 southern Illinois, southern Colorado, and Arizona. There are a few 

 records of its occurrence in winter in western New York. 



Spring migration. — An abundant migrant in the upper Mississippi 

 Valley, the lesser scaup is one of the less early ducks to arrive. It 

 has appeared at Keokuk, Iowa, just north of its winter home, on Feb- 

 ruary 26, average of five years (earliest date February 21, 1892); while 

 during another period of five years the average date of its arrival was 

 March 19. The average date of arrival in central Iowa is March 21, 

 as deduced from thirteen years' observations; at Heron Lake, Minn., 

 March 22 (earliest March 5, 1887); central Nebraska, March 29; 

 Loveland, Colo., March 12 (earliest March 8, 1887). The average of 

 six years' observations at Chicago, 111., gives April 6 as the date of 

 appearance, while in a neighboring locality, English Lake, Ind. , it 

 has been taken several times by March 12, and in 1892 on March 6. 

 The average dates are: Central Indiana, March 27; Oberlin, Ohio, 

 •March 23 (earliest March 15, 1901); southern Michigan, March 25 

 (earliest March 11, 1905) ; Ottawa, Ontario, April 26 ; Montreal, Canada, 

 April 14; Reaburn, Manitoba, April 9. This species was seen near 

 Pelican Rapids, Alberta, May 7, 1901, and at Fort Simpson, Macken- 

 zie, May 24, 1904. It is one of the later breeding ducks. Young 

 4510— No. 26—06 4 



