﻿BLACK 
  DUCK. 
  25 
  

  

  dividing 
  line 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  is 
  unknown. 
  A 
  specimen 
  from 
  the 
  

   Straits 
  of 
  Belle 
  Isle 
  is 
  obscura; 
  one 
  from 
  Okak, 
  Labrador, 
  is 
  inter- 
  

   mediate, 
  and 
  one 
  from 
  Ungava 
  Bay, 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  farther 
  north, 
  

   is 
  rubripes. 
  

  

  The 
  black 
  duck 
  breeds 
  so 
  early 
  that 
  young 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  at 
  Old 
  

   Say 
  brook, 
  Conn., 
  May 
  5, 
  and 
  eggs 
  at 
  Rehoboth, 
  Mass., 
  April 
  30. 
  

  

  Winter 
  range. 
  — 
  This 
  species 
  is 
  accidental 
  in 
  winter 
  in 
  the 
  West 
  

   Indies 
  (Jamaica), 
  rare 
  in 
  the 
  Bermudas, 
  and 
  rare 
  in 
  central 
  Florida 
  

   (Gainesville) 
  and 
  also 
  in 
  Alabama. 
  From 
  Georgia 
  northward 
  it 
  is 
  

   more 
  common, 
  and 
  from 
  North 
  Carolina 
  to 
  New 
  Jersey 
  it 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   abundant 
  winter 
  ducks. 
  Black 
  ducks, 
  including 
  both 
  A. 
  obscura 
  and 
  

   A. 
  rubripes, 
  are 
  abundant 
  at 
  this 
  season 
  around 
  Long 
  Island 
  and 
  on 
  

   the 
  shores 
  of 
  Rhode 
  Island 
  and 
  Massachusetts, 
  but 
  although 
  a 
  few 
  

   A. 
  obscura 
  winter 
  in 
  Massachusetts, 
  the 
  greater 
  number 
  are^l. 
  rvJjripes. 
  

   West 
  of 
  the 
  Alleghenies 
  there 
  is 
  uncertainty 
  as 
  to 
  which 
  form 
  pre- 
  

   ponderates 
  in 
  winter. 
  A. 
  obscura 
  is 
  a 
  tolerably 
  common 
  winter 
  

   resident 
  of 
  Louisiana, 
  but 
  A. 
  rubripes 
  reaches 
  Arkansas, 
  and 
  one 
  form 
  

   or 
  the 
  other 
  winters 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  southern 
  Ohio, 
  southern 
  Indiana, 
  

   and 
  southern 
  Illinois. 
  In 
  migration 
  A. 
  obscura 
  is 
  rare 
  west 
  to 
  eastern 
  

   Nebraska 
  (Fairmont, 
  Gresham, 
  Calhoun) 
  and 
  eastern 
  Kansas 
  (Reno 
  

   County, 
  Wichita, 
  and 
  Lawrence). 
  Notes 
  on 
  the 
  migration 
  of 
  this 
  

   species 
  are 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  included 
  under 
  those 
  of 
  A. 
  rubripes. 
  

  

  Anas 
  obscura 
  rubripes 
  Brewst. 
  Eed-legged 
  Black 
  Duck. 
  

  

  Breeding 
  range. 
  — 
  As 
  stated 
  under 
  the 
  last 
  species, 
  a 
  breeding 
  duck 
  

   from 
  Okak, 
  northeastern 
  Labrador, 
  is 
  considered 
  intermediate 
  between 
  

   this 
  form 
  and 
  A. 
  obscura, 
  while 
  the 
  bird 
  breeding 
  at 
  Ungava 
  Bay 
  is 
  A. 
  

   rubripes. 
  This 
  Ungava 
  Bay 
  record 
  seems 
  to 
  mark 
  the 
  northeastern 
  

   limit 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  reported. 
  Thence 
  the 
  species 
  extends 
  west 
  

   to 
  Hudson 
  Bay, 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  at 
  least 
  as 
  Fort 
  Churchill, 
  and 
  is 
  rare 
  or 
  

   accidental 
  west 
  to 
  Manitoba 
  (Long 
  Lake; 
  Lake 
  Manitoba, 
  October 
  28, 
  

   1900; 
  Delta, 
  September 
  1, 
  1902, 
  September, 
  1903; 
  St. 
  Marks, 
  two, 
  

   October, 
  1902), 
  and 
  to 
  Fort 
  Anderson. 
  The 
  southern 
  limit 
  of 
  the 
  

   breeding 
  range 
  in 
  Ontario 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  determined. 
  

  

  Winter 
  range. 
  — 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  ducks 
  that 
  winter 
  in 
  Massachu- 
  

   setts 
  are 
  A. 
  rubripes, 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  about 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  the 
  species 
  com- 
  

   monly 
  winters. 
  Along 
  the 
  coast 
  some 
  have 
  been 
  known 
  in 
  winter 
  as 
  

   far 
  north 
  as 
  Nova 
  Scotia. 
  How 
  far 
  south 
  the 
  species 
  goes 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  

   been 
  determined, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  common 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  South 
  Carolina 
  

   from 
  November 
  to 
  March, 
  and 
  a 
  specimen 
  was 
  taken 
  in 
  Mississippi 
  

   County, 
  Ark., 
  November 
  5, 
  1887. 
  It 
  occurs 
  west 
  to 
  Nebraska 
  (Green- 
  

   wood, 
  Lincoln, 
  Calhoun) 
  and 
  undoubtedly 
  wanders 
  to 
  eastern 
  Kansas. 
  

   The 
  northern 
  winter 
  limit 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  is 
  probably 
  from 
  northwestern 
  

   Pennsylvania 
  to 
  southern 
  Wisconsin. 
  

  

  