336 BUCEPHALA ALBEOLA 



DISTRIBUTION 



The Buffle-head is a North American species with a distribution very much like that of the Common 

 Golden-eye in the New World. It breeds almost exclusively in Canada and Alaska, and during the 

 winter is widely distributed through the United States. 



Breeding Range 



In Alaska this duck is found only in the central and southern parts. It is rare at the mouth of the 

 .. , Yukon (Nelson, 1887), though stray specimens have been taken on the Pribilovs (G. D. 



Hanna, 1916) . But in the interior of Alaska, especially on the upper Yukon and Kusko- 

 kwim and about the mouth of the Porcupine River it is common (Nelson, 1887; Dall and Bannister, 

 1869; Lockhart, Kennicott, fide Baird, Brewer and Ridgway, 1884; Dice, 1920). Loring (1902) 

 reports it common about Cook Inlet, also. Its exact breeding range in Alaska is not well worked out. 

 In northwestern Canada the breeding range extends throughout the MacKenzie basin to its mouth 

 North- (Preble, 1908; R. MacFarlane, 1908) but it cannot be said to nest in any numbers north 



western of Great Slave Lake. In this region nests have been taken at Fort Simpson, Fort Rae, 



Canada p ort R eso l u ti n (fide Baird, Brewer and Ridgway, 1884). Along the Great Slave River 



and about Lake Athabasca, as well as along the lower reaches of the Athabasca River, lies one of the 

 centers of abundance in the breeding season. Preble (1908), R. MacFarlane (1908), Seton (1911), 

 Harper (MS.), and many other naturalists and explorers found it abundant and nesting in the 

 wooded areas in this region. 



It is an abundant nesting bird in British Columbia, too, according to Fannin (1891), A. Brooks 

 _ . . , (1903), Kermode (1904) and Taverner (1919c). The same is true of Alberta. Loring 



Columbia (fide Preble, 1908) found the species common on the lakes between Edmonton, Jasper 

 , House, Henry House and the Smoky River. Soper (1918) speaks of it as occasionally 



seen near Edmonton though Stansell (1909) found it a very common nester in central 

 Alberta, and W. S. Brooks and Cobb (1911) state that it is a fairly common breeder in east-central 

 Alberta. C. B. Horsbrugh (1915) and Taverner (1919b) found it nesting rather commonly about Buf- 

 „ , . falo Lake and the Red Deer River. There are very few records of its having actually 



ewan been found nesting in Saskatchewan. At Quill Lake, Ferry (1910) saw small numbers 



that were apparently nesting, and Raine (1892) states that it was found doing so at 



Rush Lake, in the southwest. According to E. E. Thompson's (1891) correspondents 

 the species is a common summer resident and breeding bird in various parts of Manitoba, and Raine 

 (1892) says he has eggs from Long and Oak Lakes in the same province. Farther north in Keewatin 

 „ . . the species probably nests in many localities. R. MacFarlane (1908) speaks of it as not 



scarce about Cumberland House and English River, and Preble (1902) met with it along 

 the Red River and Hill River. He adds that other explorers have found it on the Severn, at Severn 

 „ . . House, Moose Factory, Trout Lake and Fort Churchill. Saunders (fide Mcllwraith, 



1894) is said to have found some nesting as far south as St. Clair Flats, Ontario. 

 In the United States a few Buffle-heads have been found nesting in northern Montana (A. A. 

 United Saunders, 1921), in Wyoming (Grave and Walker, 1913; Cary, 1917), formerly in 



States northern Iowa (Cooke, 1906; R. M. Anderson, 1907) and once hi Wisconsin (Kumlien 



and Hollister, 1903). Small numbers are said to pass the summer in the mountains of Washington 

 (W. L. Dawson and Bowles, 1909), and J. A. Allen (1909) speaks of it as a nesting bird on Klamath 

 Lake, on what authority I do not know. Very recently evidence, not wholly convincing, has been 

 published to show that Buffle-heads nested on Eagle Lake, Lassen County, northern California (J. 

 Dixon, 1921; M. S. Ray, 1921; A. Brooks, 1922; Labarthe, 1922). Proofs of its nesting in Minnesota 

 . . (Stark, in Dresser, 1871-81) and in North Dakota are also inadequate. Both Chamber- 



Provinces ^ a ' n (1882) and Boardman (1903) speak of it as a breeding bird in New Brunswick, but 



there are no good records of actual nests taken. There are non-breeding summer 



