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ruary 15. After this date 

 they are protected from 

 shooting throughout the 

 State and need no longer 

 seek refuge in this sanc- 

 tuary. Thus the ducks 

 leave Lake Merritt several 

 weeks before they depart 

 for their distant nesting 

 grounds in the north. 



The time of arrival and 

 departure varies with the 

 different species. For in- 

 stance, the Pintail arrives 

 much earlier in the fall than 

 the Canvasback, and also 

 departs correspondingly 

 early in the spring. In 191 8 

 the Canvasback did not ar- 

 rive in full force until early 

 December, some time after 

 the Pintail had arrived. On 

 February 16, 191 9, only one 

 Pintail was seen on the lake 

 where thousands were pres- 

 ent a month earlier. At 

 this date (February 16), 

 when only one Pintail was 

 noted, hundreds of Canvas- 

 backs still thronged the wa- 

 ters near the Embarcadero, 

 and many individuals of 

 this species were still pres- 

 ent during the first week in 

 March. 



Among the various kinds 

 of waterfowl which regu- 

 larly visit Lake Merritt 

 each winter, the following 

 four species of wild ducks 

 occur in greatest numbers 

 and are of particular in- 

 terest : 



The Pintail, or Sprig, one 

 of the largest and most 

 graceful of all our wild 

 ducks, is the species found 

 on the lawns in greatest ag- 

 gregate numbers. Both the 

 common name, Pintail, and 

 the scientific name, acuta, 

 have been given this bird on 

 account of the long, rapier- 

 like tail feathers, which 

 form the most striking fea- 

 ture in the male of the 

 species. 



33- 



