﻿14 
  NORTH 
  AMERICAN 
  DUCKS, 
  GEESE, 
  AND 
  SWANS. 
  

  

  breeding 
  grounds 
  late 
  in 
  August, 
  but 
  that 
  active 
  migration 
  does 
  not 
  

   occur 
  until 
  September. 
  A 
  shooting 
  season 
  in 
  northern 
  New 
  England 
  

   or 
  the 
  northern 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  Valley 
  that 
  began 
  Septem- 
  

   ber 
  1 
  would 
  satisfy 
  the 
  demands 
  of 
  conservative 
  sportsmen 
  of 
  these 
  

   sections. 
  In 
  the 
  southern 
  United 
  States, 
  however, 
  this 
  date 
  would 
  

   anticipate 
  by 
  a 
  full 
  month 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  enough 
  ducks 
  arrive 
  to 
  make 
  

   hunting 
  worth 
  while, 
  and 
  at 
  Currituck 
  Sound, 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  shoot- 
  

   ing 
  does 
  not 
  begin 
  until 
  November. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  northern 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  the 
  great 
  body 
  of 
  ducks 
  

   and 
  geese 
  depart 
  with 
  the 
  advent 
  of 
  freezing 
  weather, 
  and 
  but 
  few 
  

   linger 
  after 
  early 
  November. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Ohio 
  

   River 
  and 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  the 
  ducks 
  and 
  geese 
  remain 
  all 
  winter, 
  and, 
  

   unless 
  protected, 
  will 
  be 
  harassed 
  throughout 
  the 
  entire 
  cold 
  season. 
  

   The 
  greatest 
  slaughter 
  of 
  ducks 
  now 
  occurs 
  in 
  the 
  section 
  named, 
  

   especially 
  in 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  Valley 
  from 
  southern 
  Missouri 
  southward, 
  

   and 
  here 
  more 
  stringent 
  laws 
  are 
  needed. 
  It 
  is 
  claimed 
  above 
  that 
  

   the 
  shooting 
  season 
  should 
  be 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  migration, 
  and 
  

   if 
  this 
  is 
  true 
  then 
  it 
  follows 
  that 
  fall 
  shooting 
  should 
  cease 
  as 
  soon 
  

   as, 
  or 
  soon 
  after, 
  fall 
  migration 
  has 
  ceased. 
  Regular 
  migration 
  has 
  

   closed 
  by 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  December, 
  and 
  though 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  constantly 
  

   shifting 
  their 
  position 
  all 
  through 
  the 
  winter 
  as 
  the 
  weather 
  changes, 
  

   these 
  movements 
  can 
  hardly 
  be 
  called 
  migration. 
  

  

  MIGRATION. 
  

  

  Ducks, 
  geese, 
  and 
  swans 
  are 
  migratory. 
  While 
  many 
  breed 
  under 
  

   the 
  torrid 
  sun 
  of 
  the 
  Tropics, 
  others 
  migrate 
  to 
  the 
  most 
  distant 
  parts 
  

   of 
  the 
  world 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  nesting. 
  As 
  far 
  into 
  the 
  frozen 
  north 
  

   as 
  land 
  extends 
  geese 
  summer 
  and 
  successfully 
  rear 
  their 
  young. 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  species 
  are 
  nonmigratory, 
  and 
  individuals 
  of 
  other 
  species, 
  as 
  

   the 
  ruddy 
  duck, 
  remain 
  through 
  the 
  year 
  near 
  the 
  nesting 
  grounds; 
  

   but 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  ducks 
  and 
  geese 
  are 
  strictly 
  migratory 
  and 
  some 
  per- 
  

   form 
  extensive 
  journeys. 
  The 
  brant 
  of 
  northern 
  Greenland, 
  for 
  

   instance, 
  probably 
  spend 
  the 
  winter 
  along 
  the 
  South 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  of 
  

   the 
  United 
  States. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  blue-winged 
  teal 
  that 
  nest 
  in 
  southern 
  

   Canada 
  desert 
  North 
  America 
  in 
  fall 
  and 
  cross 
  the 
  equator 
  to 
  spend 
  

   the 
  winter 
  in 
  central 
  South 
  America. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  pintail 
  ducks 
  of 
  

   Alaska 
  and 
  northeastern 
  Asia 
  cross 
  the 
  equator 
  to 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  the 
  

   South 
  Pacific, 
  4,000 
  miles 
  from 
  their 
  breeding 
  grounds. 
  

  

  Most 
  waterfowl, 
  in 
  migrating, 
  follow 
  the 
  same 
  route 
  both 
  in 
  spring 
  

   and 
  fall. 
  The 
  ducks 
  that 
  migrate 
  north 
  along 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  River 
  

   in 
  spring 
  probably 
  are 
  the 
  same 
  individuals 
  that 
  traversed 
  this 
  route 
  

   the 
  previous 
  autumn. 
  Among 
  the 
  geese 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  single 
  exception 
  to 
  

   this 
  rule. 
  The 
  common 
  eastern 
  brant 
  (Branta 
  bernicla 
  glaucogastra) 
  

   in 
  spring 
  passes 
  north 
  along 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  to 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Saint 
  

  

  