﻿24 
  NOETH 
  AMERICAN 
  DUCKS, 
  GEESE, 
  AND 
  SWANS. 
  

  

  crosses 
  into 
  central 
  Canada 
  early 
  in 
  April, 
  and 
  the 
  average 
  date 
  of 
  

   arrival 
  at 
  Awerne, 
  Manitoba 
  (ten 
  years), 
  is 
  April 
  3 
  (earliest 
  March 
  24, 
  

   1905); 
  Qu' 
  Appelle, 
  Saskatchewan 
  (six 
  3 
  T 
  ears), 
  April 
  10 
  (earliest, 
  March 
  

   26, 
  1905). 
  The 
  earliest 
  migrants 
  were 
  seen 
  at 
  Fort 
  Resolution 
  May^ 
  7, 
  

   1860; 
  near 
  Fort 
  Providence, 
  April 
  27, 
  1904; 
  Fort 
  Simpson, 
  May 
  3, 
  

   1904; 
  Kowak 
  River, 
  Alaska, 
  May 
  17, 
  1899. 
  

  

  The 
  last 
  one 
  seen 
  in 
  1892 
  at 
  Shellmound, 
  Miss., 
  was 
  on 
  April 
  5; 
  

   in 
  northern 
  Texas 
  one 
  was 
  seen 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  May 
  6, 
  1889. 
  In 
  central 
  

   Missouri, 
  where 
  a 
  few 
  remain 
  to 
  breed, 
  the 
  average 
  date 
  when 
  the 
  

   last 
  migrants 
  are 
  seen 
  is 
  March 
  28. 
  

  

  Fall 
  migration. 
  — 
  In 
  the 
  fall 
  this 
  species 
  returns 
  with 
  the 
  general 
  

   mass 
  of 
  ducks, 
  and 
  the 
  average 
  date 
  of 
  its 
  arrival 
  at 
  Alexandria, 
  

   Va., 
  is 
  September 
  21 
  (earliest, 
  August 
  28, 
  1896); 
  it 
  becomes 
  common 
  

   October 
  27; 
  at 
  Chicago, 
  111., 
  September 
  27; 
  Grinnell, 
  Iowa, 
  Septem- 
  

   ber 
  17; 
  and 
  in 
  northern 
  Texas 
  October 
  11. 
  The 
  first 
  one 
  was 
  noted 
  

   at 
  San 
  Angelo, 
  Tex., 
  August 
  10, 
  1883, 
  and 
  at 
  Austin, 
  Tex., 
  Septem- 
  

   ber 
  1, 
  1893. 
  

  

  The 
  mallard 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  moderately 
  hardy 
  ducks, 
  and 
  remains 
  in 
  

   the 
  north 
  until 
  the 
  lakes 
  begin 
  to 
  freeze. 
  Average 
  dates 
  when 
  the 
  

   last 
  were 
  seen 
  are: 
  Montreal, 
  Canada, 
  October 
  26 
  (latest, 
  November 
  13, 
  

   1897); 
  Scotch 
  Lake, 
  New 
  Brunswick, 
  November 
  7; 
  Ottawa, 
  Ontario 
  

   (nine 
  years), 
  November 
  5 
  (latest, 
  November 
  14, 
  1904); 
  Aweme, 
  Mani- 
  

   toba 
  (eight 
  years), 
  November 
  12 
  (latest, 
  November 
  23, 
  1902); 
  Chicago, 
  

   111., 
  November 
  13; 
  English 
  Lake, 
  Ind., 
  December 
  9; 
  southern 
  Minne- 
  

   sota 
  (ten 
  years), 
  November 
  22 
  (latest, 
  December 
  11, 
  1890); 
  central 
  

   Iowa 
  (12 
  } 
  T 
  ears), 
  November 
  15 
  (latest, 
  November 
  27, 
  1903); 
  central 
  

   Nebraska, 
  November 
  18 
  (latest, 
  November 
  26, 
  1899). 
  

  

  Anas 
  obscura 
  Ginel. 
  Black 
  Duck. 
  

  

  Breeding 
  range. 
  — 
  The 
  group 
  of 
  ' 
  black' 
  or 
  ' 
  dusky' 
  ducks 
  comprises 
  

   several 
  species 
  which 
  closely 
  resemble 
  each 
  other 
  and 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  

   distinguished 
  only 
  in 
  recent 
  years. 
  The 
  black 
  duck 
  is 
  the 
  common 
  

   breeding 
  duck 
  of 
  New 
  England 
  and 
  northern 
  New 
  York, 
  south 
  of 
  

   which 
  it 
  breeds 
  not 
  rarely 
  on 
  Long 
  Island 
  and 
  locally 
  in 
  Penns} 
  T 
  lvania 
  

   (Bradford 
  County), 
  New 
  Jersey 
  (Long 
  Beach), 
  Delaware, 
  and 
  Mary- 
  

   land 
  (Ocean 
  City, 
  Barrow 
  Springs). 
  To 
  the 
  westward 
  the 
  breeding 
  

   range 
  extends 
  south 
  to 
  Ohio 
  (formerly), 
  Indiana 
  (Lake 
  County), 
  Illi- 
  

   nois, 
  Iowa 
  (Spirit 
  Lake), 
  and 
  Minnesota 
  (Kandiyohi 
  County). 
  It 
  

   breeds 
  rarely 
  and 
  locally 
  over 
  much 
  of 
  Wisconsin, 
  but 
  breeds 
  more 
  

   commonly 
  in 
  Michigan 
  and 
  southern 
  Ontario. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  common 
  

   summer 
  resident 
  of 
  Quebec, 
  New 
  Brunswick, 
  Nova 
  Scotia, 
  and 
  the 
  

   islands 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St. 
  Lawrence. 
  The 
  most 
  northern 
  points 
  at 
  

   which 
  it 
  breeds 
  are 
  in 
  southern 
  Labrador 
  and 
  Newfoundland. 
  Some- 
  

   where 
  in 
  Labrador 
  and 
  in 
  northern 
  Ontario 
  this 
  form 
  meets 
  the 
  more 
  

   northern 
  form, 
  the 
  red-legged 
  duck 
  (Anas 
  obscura 
  rubripes), 
  but 
  the 
  

  

  