﻿50 
  .NORTH 
  AMERICAN 
  DUCKS, 
  GEESE, 
  AND 
  SWANS. 
  

  

  mild 
  winters, 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  1888-89, 
  it 
  remains 
  north 
  to 
  Prince 
  Edward 
  

   Island. 
  It 
  is 
  common 
  in 
  winter 
  all 
  along 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  coast, 
  and 
  

   continues 
  to 
  be 
  common 
  to 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  less 
  common 
  in 
  South 
  

   Carolina, 
  and 
  rare 
  or 
  accidental 
  to 
  the 
  southward. 
  All 
  records 
  for 
  the 
  

   West 
  Indies 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  erroneous. 
  It 
  was 
  once 
  seen 
  at 
  sea 
  near 
  the 
  

   Bahamas, 
  has 
  been 
  taken 
  a 
  few 
  times 
  in 
  the 
  Bermudas, 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  

   seen 
  a 
  few 
  times 
  in 
  Florida; 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  rare 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Missis- 
  

   sippi 
  River, 
  but 
  is 
  quite 
  rare 
  in 
  Texas 
  and 
  New 
  Mexico, 
  is 
  recorded 
  in 
  

   Mexico 
  (Mazatlan 
  and 
  northeastern 
  Lower 
  California), 
  and 
  is 
  rare 
  in 
  

   southern 
  California. 
  In 
  the 
  interior 
  it 
  remains 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  north 
  

   to 
  Iowa, 
  Nebraska, 
  and 
  Utah, 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  at 
  

   this 
  season 
  north 
  to 
  the 
  Aleutian 
  Islands. 
  

  

  Spring 
  migration. 
  — 
  The 
  spring 
  records 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  are 
  very 
  

   irregular, 
  as 
  might 
  be 
  expected 
  from 
  its 
  habit 
  of 
  wintering 
  far 
  north 
  

   near 
  large 
  bodies 
  of 
  water. 
  Observers 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Maine 
  report 
  

   it 
  as 
  common 
  all 
  winter, 
  while 
  inland 
  in 
  southern 
  Maine 
  the 
  first 
  was 
  

   not 
  seen 
  (average 
  eight 
  } 
  T 
  ears) 
  until 
  April 
  5 
  (earliest 
  March 
  27, 
  1902); 
  

   at 
  Montreal, 
  Canada 
  (average 
  nine 
  years), 
  April 
  4 
  (earliest 
  March 
  19, 
  

   1894); 
  North 
  River, 
  Prince 
  Edward 
  Island, 
  April 
  8, 
  and 
  at 
  Lake 
  Mis- 
  

   tassini, 
  Quebec, 
  May 
  3, 
  1885. 
  At 
  Ottawa, 
  Ontario, 
  it 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   most 
  irregular 
  birds 
  in 
  its 
  arrival. 
  In 
  twelve 
  3 
  T 
  ears 
  out 
  of 
  eighteeen 
  

   the 
  first 
  arrival 
  was 
  not 
  noted 
  until 
  April, 
  average 
  April 
  12; 
  for 
  five 
  

   years 
  the 
  first 
  came 
  in 
  March, 
  and 
  in 
  1885 
  the 
  first 
  was 
  seen 
  February 
  

   14. 
  Other 
  average 
  dates 
  of 
  arrival 
  are: 
  Southern 
  Ontario, 
  April 
  5; 
  

   northern 
  Iowa, 
  March 
  21; 
  Heron 
  Lake, 
  Minn., 
  March 
  25 
  (earliest 
  

   March 
  14, 
  1889); 
  northern 
  North 
  Dakota, 
  April 
  20; 
  southern 
  Manitoba, 
  

   April 
  21 
  (earliest 
  March 
  29, 
  1902). 
  The 
  first 
  golden-eyes 
  have 
  been 
  

   noted 
  at 
  Great 
  Falls, 
  Mont., 
  March 
  9-22; 
  central 
  Alberta, 
  April 
  7-17; 
  

   Osier, 
  Saskatchewan, 
  Ma} 
  T 
  2, 
  1893; 
  Fort 
  Resolution, 
  Mackenzie, 
  May 
  

   7, 
  1860, 
  and 
  Nulato, 
  Alaska, 
  May 
  3, 
  1868. 
  An 
  unusually 
  early 
  bird 
  

   was 
  seen 
  on 
  April 
  28, 
  1904, 
  at 
  Fort 
  Simpson, 
  Mackenzie. 
  Eggs 
  have 
  

   been 
  taken 
  at 
  Devils 
  Lake, 
  N. 
  Dak., 
  May 
  25, 
  1903; 
  near 
  Lake 
  Atha- 
  

   basca 
  June 
  6, 
  1903; 
  downy 
  young 
  at 
  Reaburn, 
  Manitoba, 
  July 
  4, 
  1893, 
  

   and 
  well-grown 
  young 
  June 
  23, 
  1894, 
  near 
  Ottawa, 
  Ontario. 
  

  

  Fall 
  migration. 
  — 
  The 
  golden-eye 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  ducks 
  to 
  migrate 
  

   southward, 
  seldom 
  appearing 
  south 
  of 
  its 
  breeding 
  range 
  before 
  Octo- 
  

   ber 
  and 
  usually 
  not 
  until 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  that 
  month. 
  A 
  long 
  series 
  

   of 
  excellent 
  notes 
  at 
  Alexandria, 
  Va., 
  shows 
  the 
  average 
  date 
  of 
  arrival 
  

   to 
  be 
  October 
  26 
  (earliest, 
  October 
  8, 
  1901); 
  on 
  the 
  average 
  the 
  spe- 
  

   cies 
  did 
  not 
  become 
  common 
  until 
  November 
  11. 
  The 
  average 
  date 
  of 
  

   appearance 
  at 
  Woods 
  Hole, 
  Mass., 
  is 
  November 
  15 
  and 
  at 
  Keokuk, 
  

   Iowa, 
  November 
  24. 
  The 
  average 
  date 
  when 
  the 
  last 
  were 
  seen 
  at 
  

   Montreal, 
  Canada, 
  is 
  November 
  7. 
  

  

  