﻿AMERICAN 
  MERGANSER. 
  19 
  

  

  The 
  material 
  for 
  determining 
  the 
  geographic 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  water- 
  

   fowl 
  included 
  in 
  this 
  bulletin 
  has 
  been 
  derived 
  from 
  various 
  publica- 
  

   tions, 
  from 
  museum 
  specimens, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  notes 
  of 
  field 
  agents 
  of 
  

   the 
  Biological 
  Survey. 
  The 
  data 
  on 
  migration 
  are 
  derived 
  almost 
  

   entirely 
  from 
  the 
  migration 
  schedules 
  contributed 
  since 
  1884 
  to 
  this 
  

   Bureau 
  by 
  hundreds 
  of 
  observers 
  distributed 
  throughout 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  and 
  Canada. 
  Opportunity 
  is 
  here 
  taken 
  to 
  extend 
  acknowl- 
  

   edgments 
  to 
  the 
  many 
  whose 
  painstaking 
  observations 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  series 
  

   of 
  years 
  have 
  made 
  possible 
  the 
  present 
  publication. 
  

  

  DISTRIBUTION 
  AND 
  MIGRATION 
  OF 
  DUCKS. 
  

  

  Merganser 
  americanus 
  (Cass.). 
  American 
  Merganser. 
  

  

  Breeding 
  range. 
  — 
  The 
  principal 
  breeding 
  ground 
  of 
  this 
  merganser 
  

   is 
  in 
  southern 
  Canada 
  from 
  the 
  maritime 
  provinces 
  to 
  Saskatchewan. 
  

   Southward 
  the 
  species 
  nests 
  quite 
  commonly 
  in 
  Maine, 
  the 
  colder 
  

   portions 
  of 
  New 
  Hampshire, 
  and 
  in 
  Vermont; 
  it 
  probably 
  has 
  bred 
  

   casually 
  or 
  accidentally 
  in 
  Massachusetts. 
  It 
  is 
  rather 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  

   Adirondack^ 
  and 
  is 
  not 
  rare 
  in 
  the 
  lake 
  region 
  of 
  northwestern 
  New 
  

   York. 
  It 
  formerly 
  bred 
  in 
  several 
  pi 
  the 
  mountainous 
  counties 
  of 
  

   central 
  Pennsylvania 
  (Perry, 
  Lancaster, 
  Clinton, 
  and 
  Lycoming), 
  and 
  

   may 
  yet 
  breed 
  occasionally 
  in 
  that 
  State 
  and 
  in 
  Ohio. 
  It 
  breeds 
  com- 
  

   monly 
  at 
  Ottawa 
  and 
  the 
  Muskoka 
  region 
  in 
  Ontario 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  rare 
  

   in 
  the 
  southern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Province 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  shores 
  and 
  islands 
  

   of 
  Lake 
  Ontario. 
  It 
  is 
  common 
  in 
  northern 
  Michigan 
  — 
  rarely 
  ay 
  far 
  

   south 
  as 
  central 
  Michigan 
  — 
  also 
  in 
  southwestern 
  Minnesota 
  (Heron 
  

   Lake), 
  South 
  Dakota 
  (Fort 
  Sisseton, 
  Black 
  Hills), 
  and 
  south 
  in 
  the 
  

   Rocky 
  Mountains 
  to 
  northern 
  New 
  Mexico 
  (near 
  Santa 
  Fe), 
  north 
  

   central 
  Arizona 
  (Fort 
  Verde), 
  and 
  the 
  Sierras 
  of 
  California. 
  

  

  The 
  breeding 
  range 
  extends 
  north 
  to 
  central 
  Ungava 
  (Hamilton 
  

   River), 
  Hudson 
  Bay 
  (York 
  Factory), 
  Great 
  Slave 
  Lake, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   Pacific 
  coast 
  regularly 
  to 
  the 
  Queen 
  Charlotte 
  Islands, 
  and 
  rarely 
  to 
  

   the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Alaskan 
  Peninsula 
  at 
  about 
  latitude 
  60° 
  (Iak 
  Lake, 
  

   July 
  24, 
  1896). 
  

  

  Winter 
  range. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  this 
  duck 
  ranges 
  from 
  Maine 
  

   to 
  South 
  Carolina, 
  rarely 
  to 
  Georgia 
  and 
  Florida; 
  in 
  mild 
  winters 
  it 
  

   occurs 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  Prince 
  Edward 
  Island; 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  it 
  winters 
  

   from 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico 
  to 
  southern 
  Ontario, 
  Lake 
  Michigan, 
  Kansas, 
  

   northern 
  Colorado, 
  Idaho, 
  British 
  Columbia, 
  and 
  rarely 
  to 
  Unalaska 
  

   Island 
  and 
  the 
  Pribilof 
  Islands. 
  In 
  winter 
  it 
  reaches 
  northern 
  

   Mexico 
  and 
  northern 
  Lower 
  California. 
  It 
  occurs 
  occasionally 
  in 
  

   the 
  Bermudas. 
  

  

  Spring 
  migration. 
  — 
  Though 
  the 
  northward 
  movement 
  of 
  this 
  mer- 
  

   ganser 
  begins 
  early— 
  late 
  February 
  — 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  much 
  activity 
  in 
  the 
  

   Mississippi 
  Valley 
  in 
  March, 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  the 
  advance 
  beyond 
  

   the 
  usual 
  winter 
  home 
  is 
  comparatively 
  late. 
  The 
  average 
  date 
  of 
  

  

  