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  NORTH 
  AMERICAN 
  DUCKS, 
  GEESE, 
  AND 
  SWANS. 
  

  

  Spring 
  migration. 
  — 
  It 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  separate 
  the 
  migration 
  rec- 
  

   ords 
  of 
  A. 
  obscura 
  and 
  A. 
  rubrlpes. 
  The 
  following 
  migration 
  notes 
  

   probabty 
  refer 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  t 
  > 
  A 
  . 
  rubripes, 
  because 
  that 
  form 
  

   winters 
  farther 
  north. 
  In 
  March 
  extensive 
  northward 
  movements 
  of 
  

   black 
  ducks 
  occur, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  until 
  early 
  April 
  that 
  the 
  birds 
  pass 
  

   be} 
  7 
  ond 
  the 
  usual 
  winter 
  range. 
  The 
  average 
  date 
  of 
  arrival 
  for 
  seven- 
  

   teen 
  years 
  in 
  southern 
  Maine 
  is 
  April 
  7; 
  the 
  earliest, 
  March 
  19, 
  1894; 
  

   the 
  average 
  date 
  for 
  Montreal 
  is 
  April 
  11, 
  and 
  March 
  27, 
  1889, 
  is 
  the 
  

   earliest; 
  Quebec, 
  average, 
  April 
  18 
  (earliest, 
  April 
  6, 
  1896); 
  Godbout, 
  

   Quebec, 
  average, 
  April 
  21; 
  Prince 
  Edward 
  Island, 
  April 
  23 
  (earliest, 
  

   April 
  5, 
  1898). 
  Farther 
  west 
  the 
  average 
  date 
  of 
  arrival 
  in 
  southern 
  

   Ontario 
  is 
  April 
  7 
  (earliest, 
  March 
  16, 
  1901); 
  average 
  at 
  Ottawa, 
  April 
  

   11 
  (earliest, 
  March 
  21, 
  1903). 
  

  

  Fall 
  migration. 
  — 
  A 
  black 
  duck 
  was 
  seen 
  at 
  Washington, 
  D. 
  O, 
  

   August 
  1, 
  1887; 
  one 
  at 
  Alexandria, 
  Va., 
  August 
  11, 
  1886, 
  and 
  one 
  at 
  

   Hog 
  Island, 
  Va., 
  August 
  20, 
  1886; 
  but 
  these 
  are 
  unusually 
  early 
  rec- 
  

   ords. 
  The 
  average 
  of 
  a 
  long 
  series 
  of 
  excellent 
  records 
  at 
  Alexandria, 
  

   Va., 
  is 
  September 
  30 
  for 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  October 
  31 
  as 
  the 
  

   average 
  date 
  when 
  they 
  become 
  common. 
  About 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  Octo- 
  

   ber, 
  on 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  coast, 
  the} 
  x 
  become 
  common 
  enough 
  to 
  usher 
  

   in 
  the 
  shooting 
  season. 
  These 
  dates, 
  of 
  course, 
  apply 
  to 
  A. 
  obscura. 
  

   There 
  are 
  no 
  exact 
  records 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  A. 
  rubripes 
  arrives 
  from 
  

   its 
  northern 
  breeding 
  grounds, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  supposed 
  that 
  it 
  reaches 
  New 
  

   England 
  about 
  the 
  first 
  week 
  in 
  October. 
  In 
  winter 
  it 
  remains 
  as 
  far 
  

   north 
  as 
  it 
  can 
  find 
  open 
  water. 
  The 
  average 
  date 
  when 
  the 
  last 
  leave 
  

   Ottawa, 
  Ontario, 
  is 
  November 
  7 
  (latest, 
  November 
  21, 
  1892); 
  average 
  

   at 
  Montreal, 
  November 
  6 
  (latest, 
  November 
  11, 
  1896). 
  The 
  last 
  one 
  

   was 
  seen 
  at 
  Prince 
  Edward 
  Island 
  November 
  13, 
  1889, 
  and 
  December 
  

  

  8, 
  1890. 
  

  

  Anas 
  fulvig-ula 
  Ridgw. 
  Florida 
  Duck. 
  

  

  A 
  nonmigratory 
  species, 
  breeding 
  commonly 
  in 
  the 
  southern 
  half 
  of 
  

   Florida, 
  and 
  less 
  commonly 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  portion. 
  It 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  

   absent 
  from 
  northeastern 
  Florida, 
  but 
  occurs 
  along 
  the 
  northwestern 
  

   coast 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  Nests 
  in 
  late 
  April 
  and 
  in 
  May, 
  but 
  sometimes 
  

   much 
  earlier, 
  for 
  downy 
  young 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  April 
  6. 
  

  

  Anas 
  fulvigula 
  maculosa 
  (Senn.). 
  Mottled 
  Duck. 
  

  

  Resident 
  in 
  Texas 
  and 
  southern 
  Louisiana 
  (Lake 
  Arthur). 
  In 
  Texas 
  

   it 
  occurs 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Rio 
  Grande 
  northward 
  and 
  west 
  to 
  about 
  

   the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  It 
  is 
  accidental 
  in 
  Kansas 
  (Neosho 
  Falls, 
  

   March 
  11, 
  1876). 
  It 
  breeds 
  throughout 
  most 
  if 
  not 
  all 
  of 
  its 
  Texas 
  

   range; 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  deposited 
  in 
  April. 
  

  

  [Anas 
  diazi 
  Ridgw. 
  Diaz 
  Black 
  Duck. 
  

  

  A 
  form 
  of 
  'black 
  duck' 
  closely 
  resembling 
  Anas 
  fulvigula. 
  It 
  is 
  nonmigratory 
  and 
  

   occurs 
  in 
  central 
  Mexico 
  from 
  Chihuahua 
  City 
  to 
  Tepic, 
  Jalisco, 
  Michoacan, 
  the 
  

   Valley 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  Puebla, 
  and 
  Tlaxcala.] 
  

  

  