50 WORTH AMERICAN DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS. 



mild winters, as that of 1888-89, it remains north to Prince Edward 

 Island. It is common in winter all along the New England coast, and 

 continues to be common to North Carolina, less common in South 

 Carolina, and rare or accidental to the southward. All records for the 

 West Indies seem to be erroneous. It was once seen at sea near the 

 Bahamas, has been taken a few times in the Bermudas, and has been 

 seen a few times in Florida; it is not rare at the mouth of the Missis- 

 sippi River, but is quite rare in Texas and New Mexico, is recorded in 

 Mexico (Mazatlan and northeastern Lower California), and is rare in 

 southern California. In the interior it remains during the winter north 

 to Iowa, Nebraska, and Utah, while on the Pacific coast it is found at 

 this season north to the Aleutian Islands. 



Spring migration. — The spring records of this species are very 

 irregular, as might be expected from its habit of wintering far north 

 near large bodies of water. Observers on the coast of Maine report 

 it as common all winter, while inland in southern Maine the first was 

 not seen (average eight years) until April 5 (earliest March 27, 1902); 

 at Montreal, Canada (average nine years), April 4 (earliest March 19, 

 1894); North River, Prince Edward Island, April 8, and at Lake Mis- 

 tassini, Quebec, May 3, 1885. At Ottawa, Ontario, it was one of the 

 most irregular birds in its arrival. In twelve years out of eighteeen 

 the first arrival was not noted until April, average April 12; for five 

 years the first came in March, and in 1885 the first was seen February 

 14. Other average dates of arrival are: Southern Ontario, April 5; 

 northern Iowa, March 21; Heron Lake, Minn., March 25 (earliest 

 March 14, 1889) ; northern North Dakota, April 20; southern Manitoba, 

 April 21 (earliest March 29, 1902). The first golden-eyes have been 

 noted at Great Falls, Mont., March 9-22; central Alberta, April 7-17; 

 Osier, Saskatchewan, May 2, 1893; Fort Resolution, Mackenzie, May 

 7, 1860, and Nulato, Alaska, May 3, 1868. An unusually early bird 

 was seen on April 28, 1904, at Fort Simpson* Mackenzie. Eggs have 

 been taken at Devils Lake, N. Dak., May 25, 1903; near Lake Atha- 

 basca June 6, 1903; downy young at Reaburn, Manitoba, July 4, 1893, 

 and well-grown young June 23, 1894, near Ottawa, Ontario. 



Fall migration. — The golden-eye is one of the late ducks to migrate 

 southward, seldom appearing south of its breeding range before Octo- 

 ber and usually not until the latter part of that month. A long series 

 of excellent notes at Alexandria, Va. , shows the average date of arrival 

 to be October 26 (earliest, October 8, 1901); on the average the spe- 

 cies did not become common until November 11. The average date of 

 appearance at Woods Hole, Mass., is November 15 and at Keokuk, 

 Iowa, November 24. The average date when the last were seen at 

 Montreal, Canada, is November 7. 



