﻿PINTAIL. 
  39 
  

  

  Illinois 
  (twelve 
  years), 
  February 
  26; 
  central 
  Missouri 
  (fourteen 
  years), 
  

   February 
  26; 
  Keokuk, 
  Iowa 
  (fourteen 
  years), 
  February 
  18; 
  central 
  

   Kansas 
  (seven 
  years), 
  February 
  21; 
  southern 
  Nebraska 
  (five 
  years), 
  

   February 
  23. 
  Farther 
  north 
  average 
  dates 
  of 
  arrival 
  are 
  Erie, 
  Pa. 
  , 
  

   March 
  11 
  (earliest 
  February 
  23, 
  1891); 
  northwestern 
  New 
  York, 
  

   March 
  25 
  (earliest 
  February 
  25, 
  1902); 
  southern 
  Ontario, 
  April 
  18; 
  

   Ottawa, 
  Ontario, 
  April 
  30; 
  Montreal, 
  April 
  23; 
  Prince 
  Edward 
  

   Island, 
  April 
  24. 
  The 
  late 
  arrival 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  in 
  eastern 
  Canada 
  

   is 
  noteworthy, 
  for 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  it 
  reaches 
  there, 
  late 
  April, 
  in 
  the 
  inte- 
  

   rior 
  it 
  has 
  penetrated 
  a 
  thousand 
  miles 
  farther 
  north. 
  Along 
  this 
  lat- 
  

   ter 
  route 
  average 
  dates 
  of 
  appearance 
  are 
  southern 
  Michigan, 
  March 
  

   18; 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Chicago 
  (thirteen 
  }^ears), 
  March 
  20 
  (earliest 
  March 
  12, 
  

   1893). 
  The 
  normal 
  time 
  of 
  arrival 
  in 
  central 
  Iowa, 
  as 
  deduced 
  from 
  

   copious 
  records 
  for 
  twenty 
  j^ears, 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  March 
  6, 
  but 
  in 
  twelve 
  

   of 
  these 
  years 
  one 
  station 
  or 
  another 
  reported 
  unusually 
  early 
  birds, 
  

   the 
  average 
  date 
  of 
  arrival 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  February 
  21. 
  The 
  average 
  

   date 
  when 
  southern 
  Minnesota 
  is 
  reached 
  is 
  (fourteen 
  years) 
  March 
  9 
  

   and 
  northwestern 
  Minnesota 
  (four 
  years) 
  April 
  8. 
  On 
  the 
  plains 
  the 
  

   average 
  dates 
  are, 
  northern 
  Nebraska, 
  March 
  5; 
  southern 
  South 
  

   Dakota, 
  March 
  8; 
  central 
  South 
  Dakota, 
  March 
  17; 
  Larimore, 
  

   N. 
  Dak., 
  April 
  3 
  (earliest 
  March 
  20, 
  1889); 
  Reaburn, 
  Manitoba, 
  April 
  8 
  

   (earliest 
  April 
  5, 
  1900); 
  Qu'Appelle, 
  Saskatchewan, 
  April 
  10 
  (earliest 
  

   March 
  25, 
  1905); 
  Great 
  Slave 
  Lake, 
  Mackenzie, 
  about 
  May 
  1; 
  Fort 
  

   Confidence, 
  May 
  22, 
  1849. 
  A 
  very 
  early 
  bird 
  was 
  seen 
  at 
  Fort 
  Simp- 
  

   son, 
  Mackenzie, 
  April 
  28, 
  1904. 
  Nearer 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains, 
  the 
  

   average 
  date 
  at 
  Terry, 
  Mont., 
  was 
  April 
  1 
  (earliest 
  March 
  10, 
  1902); 
  

   Great 
  Falls, 
  Mont., 
  March 
  16 
  (earliest 
  March 
  10, 
  1889); 
  Edmonton, 
  

   Alberta, 
  April 
  7, 
  1887; 
  St. 
  Michael 
  and 
  Nulato, 
  Alaska, 
  about 
  May 
  1; 
  

   Kowak 
  River, 
  Alaska, 
  May 
  14, 
  1899; 
  Point 
  Barrow, 
  Alaska, 
  June 
  18, 
  

   1882. 
  

  

  The 
  pintail 
  not 
  only 
  migrates 
  early, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  among 
  the 
  earlier 
  

   ducks 
  to 
  breed, 
  as 
  evidenced 
  by 
  the 
  following 
  data: 
  Will, 
  111., 
  eggs, 
  

   May 
  10, 
  1877; 
  Calumet 
  Marsh, 
  Illinois, 
  fresh 
  eggs, 
  May 
  29, 
  1875; 
  Han- 
  

   cock 
  County, 
  Iowa, 
  eggs, 
  May 
  1, 
  1879 
  ; 
  Hay 
  Lake, 
  Nebraska, 
  half-groVn 
  

   young, 
  June 
  17, 
  1902; 
  North 
  Dakota, 
  eggs, 
  early 
  May, 
  young, 
  first 
  

   week 
  of 
  June; 
  Oak 
  Lake, 
  Manitoba, 
  incubated 
  eggs, 
  May 
  24, 
  1892; 
  

   near 
  Lake 
  Athabasca, 
  eggs 
  nearly 
  hatched, 
  June 
  8, 
  1901; 
  Nulato, 
  

   Alaska, 
  beginning 
  to 
  breed 
  May 
  20; 
  Circle 
  City, 
  Alaska, 
  downy 
  

   young, 
  July 
  10, 
  1903; 
  Kowak 
  River, 
  Alaska, 
  first 
  eggs, 
  June 
  1, 
  1899. 
  

  

  Fall 
  migration. 
  — 
  As 
  is 
  true 
  of 
  most 
  ducks, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  southward 
  

   movement 
  in 
  August, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  until 
  early 
  September 
  that 
  many 
  

   appear 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  breeding 
  grounds, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  two 
  weeks 
  

   a 
  few 
  birds 
  find 
  their 
  way 
  even 
  to 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  arriving 
  

   there 
  \>^ 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  September. 
  Some 
  earty 
  dates 
  are: 
  Erie, 
  

   Pa., 
  September 
  6, 
  1893; 
  Alexandria, 
  Va., 
  September 
  13, 
  1890; 
  Long 
  

  

  