SEA DUCKS 



(147) Marila valisneria 



(TVlh.) (From the water plant upnn wlilch 

 they extensively fecdj. 



CAN\'AS-BACK. Bill high at 

 the base, forming a straight line with 

 the top of the head. Ad, & — Bill 

 black. Iris red. Head reddish- 

 brown, blackening toward the base 

 of the bill; black feathers on breast 

 sharply defined against the white 

 of the under parts. Ad. 2 — Gray- 

 ish-brown like the 9 Redhead, but 

 readily identified by the larger size 

 and differently shaped bill; head 

 more or less tinged with rusty-brown - 

 L., 2i.oo; W., 9.50; B., 2.40. Eggs 

 — Six to ten grayish-buff, 2.40 x 1.70. 



Range — ■ Breeds from southern 

 Minn,, Colo, and Ore. north to Kee- 

 watin and Alaska Winters from Pa. 

 and 111. southward. 



sweep the length of a body of water several tiines before 

 alighting in order to select the best spot, and then all sail 

 down on set wings, entering the water with great splashes. 

 They come quite readily to decoys and large numbers of 

 them are killed annually from blinds in all parts of the 

 country. Their flesh is regarded as fully equal to that of 

 the more famous Canvas-back. 



CANVAS-BACKS are somewhat similar to Redheads in 

 appearance but very easily distinguished; the males by 

 their black bills and very light colored backs; the females 

 by the very differently shaped bills — as one old gunner 

 expressed it, " Canvas-backs have Roman noses, while 

 Redheads have pug noses. " 



Both species, but more frequently Redheads, are some- 

 times known as "raft ducks" because they commonly float 

 in large flocks well off shore or in the middle of large bodies 

 of water. They dive in quite deep water and gather mol- 

 lusks or pull up water plants, the roots of which they are 

 fond of. It is usual to see numbers of Baldpates mixed in 



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