274 NYROCA AFFINIS 



in many States of the Union, to say nothing of Mexico or even Central America, specimens of this 

 duck are seen not uncommonly until well into the summer or even throughout the warm season. 

 These birds are, however, non-breeding birds and in most cases there is no evidence of actual 

 nesting. 



Breeding Range 



In reality the Lesser Scaup has a wider breeding range than its relative. The northwestern limit of 

 the breeding area is eastern Alaska, where nests have been taken at Fort Yukon (Kennicott, fide 

 .. . Baird, Brewer and Ridgway, 1884), Circle (Osgood, 1909), Eagle (U.S. Biological 



Survey) and Lower Lebarge Lake (Bishop, 1900) as well as at Glacier Bay (Grinnell, 

 Bryant and Storer, 1918). Dall and Bannister's (1867) statement that the species is not uncommon 

 and breeds at the mouth of the Yukon must, I believe, rest on error. On migration it seems to be com- 

 mon in autumn along the coast of southeastern Alaska. 



In northwestern Canada the Lesser Scaup breeds regularly as far north as the Arctic coast and east- 

 ward to about 112° west longitude. Stefansson (1913) found it fairly common on the MacKenzie 

 Northwest delta, and saw others farther east in Langton Bay and even in the western part of 

 Canada Coronation Gulf. R. MacFarlane (1908) has recorded nests taken on the Anderson 



River and Preble (1908) reports having seen many of these birds all through the MacKenzie basin, at 

 Fort Franklin, Great Bear Lake and about Great Slave Lake. Frank Russell (1898) states that it is 

 a common species on the islands in Great Slave Lake, but for some reason he found it rare farther 

 south at Fort Chipewyan. I notice that the maps of the U.S. Biological Survey in Washington extend 

 the breeding range as far east as Aylmer Lake, on what basis I do not know. About the west end of 

 Lake Athabasca and on the Athabasca delta Mr. Harper (MS.), while collecting for me, found the 

 Scaup the most abundant breeding duck. 



In British Columbia, so Major Allan Brooks tells me, the Lesser Scaup breeds commonly north of 

 about latitude 51° (scarce at Clinton), north to the extreme northern border at Atlin. In 1903, the 

 British same authority wrote that it was an abundant breeder in the Cariboo district, and in a 



Columbia recent paper (1920) he speaks of it as abundant in central British Columbia also, that 

 is, between Lake La Hache and Lake Quesnelle, though it is a rare nesting bird in the south. 



The Lesser Scaup breeds in all the central and northern parts of Alberta. Stansell (1909), to be 

 sure, says it does not nest in central Alberta, but specimens have been taken at Edmonton and the 

 Alherta species was seen at various points along the Athabasca basin (Preble, 1908) while 



Dippie (fide J. and J. M. Macoun, 1909) took nests at Burnt Lake, and W. S. Brooks 

 and Cobb (1911) found it breeding in east-central Alberta. Mr. Wolfe writes me from Edmonton that 

 on the near-by lakes where he collects eggs for propagating purposes this Scaup is an extremely abun- 

 dant nester. He thinks he could gather a bushel of eggs in a few hours. On the other hand the Greater 

 Scaup he considers a rare breeder in this region. 



It is a common nesting bird in southwestern Saskatchewan at Crane and Hay Lakes (Bent, 1907) 

 Saskatch- and at Prince Albert and Quill Lake in the central part of the province. Nests have 

 ewan a i so been taken at Indian Head and Cypress Lake (Spreadborough, in J. and J. M. 



Macoun, 1909). 



In Manitoba it is no longer an abundant breeder, though still generally distributed (E. E. Thomp- 



Mantob son ' 1891; Di PP ie > m J - and J - M - Macoun, 1909; Taverner, 1919). Preble (1902) is 



probably correct in assigning various records for the Nelson River, Severn River, Sev- 

 ern House, Fort Churchill and York Factory to the Greater Scaup, which is the more eastern species. 

 Eastern There are eastern breeding records of the present species for Canada: Dunnville (McD- 



Canada wraith, 1894) and Nipissing, Ontario (Hubel, 1907), which are, I believe, open to doubt. 



Schmitt's (1904) statement that a few nest in Anticosti cannot be accepted without further evidence, 

 and Downs's (1888) record of nesting at Grand Lake, Nova Scotia, is probably to be referred to the 



