The Canvas-back 



Recognition Marks. — Mallard size; slope of culmen continuous with forehead; 

 reddish brown head and light canvas back. For detailed comparison with M. americana 

 see above. 



Nesting. — Not known to breed in California. Nest: A bulky basket of 

 twisted reeds, with walls 3 or 4 inches in diameter; built up above water in clump of 

 reeds affording ready access to open water. Down: Gray. Eggs: 6-10; light 

 greenish gray (yellowish glaucous), but also "rich grayish olive or greenish drab of a 

 darker shade than that usually seen in the eggs of the other species" (Bent). Av. 

 size 63 x 44.45 (2.48 x 1.75). Season: May 20-June; one brood. 



General Range. — North America. Breeds westerly from southwestern Kee- 

 watin, central Mackenzie, Fort Yukon, and central British Columbia, to southern 

 Minnesota, Nebraska, northern Nevada, and northern California. Winters chiefly 

 coastwise from British Columbia and Maryland south to western Mexico and the Gulf 

 States; but also interiorly along the edge of the "ice line" to Colorado, Pennsylvania, 

 etc. Casual in the West Indies, Bermuda, and Guatemala; in migrations north to 

 New Brunswick. 



Distribution in California. — Common winter resident, but chiefly coastwise 

 and on larger bodies of water. Abundant in certain favored bays and saline sloughs, 

 and of common occurrence offshore. No definite record of nests found, but birds seen 

 June 20, 1912, on Goose Lake were undoubtedly breeding. 



Authorities. — Woodhouse ( Nyroca valisneria). Rep. Sitgreaves Exped. Col. R., 

 1853, p. 104 (Santa Isabella, Calif.); Cones. Birds of the Northwest, 1874, p. 575 (dis- 

 tinction between canvasback and red-head); Howell and van Rossem, Condor, vol. 

 xvii., 1915, p. 232 (Colo. R., winter). 



IF THE CANVASBACK were gifted with race consciousness, so 

 that it might be aware of the fortunes and misfortunes of its fellows, 

 doubtless the race ere this would have passed emphatic resolutions against 

 the use of wild celery {Vallisneria spiralis), that seductive weed of Alary- 

 land whose flavory tissues have built up the flesh and the reputation of 

 the American Canvasback. But for that fatal "celery," our good friend 

 might have remained multitudinously obscure, its flesh neither better 

 nor worse than that of other ducks, its name plain Jones, instead of 

 Antinoiis Coronatus, the ranking officer — and victim — of epicuredom. 

 "A plague upon that celery tradition anyhow!" cry at once the spectral 

 birds and all true bird-lovers. There is no wild celery in California, nor 

 anywhere in the West. The western Canvasback's flesh does not reek 

 with this ambrosial herb; yet because some inspired gastronomist in 

 Baltimore passed the word years ago, the Canvasback leads the circus 

 in San Francisco (or did till market hunting was stopped), and so heads 

 the procession to an early grave. 



We acknowledge that we are considerably pessimistic, and we know 

 that we shall be ruled out of court by the eager sportsmen who cite "recent 

 records" of extraordinary bags (said bags having been noted under ex- 

 ceptional circumstances, which could not be duplicated elsewhere on 



1804 



