THE WATERFOWLThe great variety of the waterfowl of the Pacific Coast, the wonderful numbers in which they are found and the excellent shooting they afford, forms a subject, which, to do it justice, would require the space of an ordinary volume.With the exception of the Gulf tier of the Southern states, waterfowl on the Atlantic Coast are but birds of passage, tarrying for a time on their way to milder winter quarters; tourists loitering for a day or two at attractive by-stations as they wing their way south in the fall and again on their return north in the spring. They are leaving the isolation of the far north or the mountain lakes and marshes where they spent the summer rearing their young and they are seeking more favorable feeding grounds in the milder climate of the South, where animal and vegetable life is not in the state of hibernation which prevents it from furnishing them with an abundance of food during their southern sojourn.Over the larger portion of our hunting grounds what is the beginning of the calendar year is in fact the beginning of our spring. When the frost king lays his hand upon all vegetable and insect life in the East, spreading his white shroud over field and pasture and breaking with his icy sleet from the vine and the brush their clinging leaves; when from the trees have fallen the last vestige of their autumnal crowns of gold and crimson; when the last flower has shed its petals; when the last hum of insect is heard and the last song of bird has died away on the southern horizon—'tis then the early rains of the Coast start the new sown grain in the fields, give life again to the grasses of the plains, carpet the foothills and the valleys with the gold and purple and crimson of innumerable flowers, and our veritable spring commences.With us, therefore, waterfowl are not passing pilgrims, tarrying for a few days only as they rest and feed on their way to the open waters and green pastures in which they intend to pass those months marked winter on the calendar of the year. They are not mere hurrying flocks alighting now and again as they wing their way back to their breeding grounds in the spring But ours is the Mecca to which they journey; ours the feeding grounds on which they assemble from the lakes and marshes of the Arctic; from the whole chain of the Aleutian Islands; from the inland seas of British Columbia and from the mountain lakes of our own Sierras from Washington to Mexico. Here on the bays, estuaries and marshes of the coast and the lakes and ponds of the valleys, throughout the whole length of these hunting grounds, countless millions of these birds have found their winter feeding grounds for unnumbered ages. No cold, no ice, no snow, no howling blizzards to stop them in their search for food or disturb their midday rest upon our quiet waters. In warmth they feed upon the tender shoots of the young grasses that fringe their watery haunts or bask in sunshine on the sandy shores.It is the popular impression that all ducks breed in the far north and migrate from there south. One has only to shoot on the lakes of Mexico to learn how erroneous this impression is, for one will meet varieties quite common there that rarely if ever reach the southern boundaries of the United States.The masked duck (Nomonyx dominicus) is a purely southern species reaching Mexico only in its breeding season. The three species of the Mexican tree duck, quite common in that country, come but little into the United States. One of these, the black-bellied tree duck (Dendrosygna autumnalis) migrates to some little extent into Texas and to less extent into New Mexico and Arizona. The fulvous tree duck (Dendrosygna fulva) extends its migrations still farther north, breeding to considerable extent in Arizona and southern California, but rarely seen as far north as the center of the state. The other species of the genus (Dendrosygna elegans), for which I know no English name, is even rare as far south as southern Jalisco. The cinnamon teal is a southern duck, breeding in Arizona, Texas and southern California but so rarely seen north of San Francisco that a gentleman who had killed a straggler near Marysville, when showing it to me, said that he couldn't find a man in the town who could tell him what it was. Yet the cinnamon teal is very common in Mexico and Arizona and quite plentiful in southern California in the spring, before the flocks break up and the birds seek their nesting places.Northern bred ducks and purely northern species visit us in great numbers during the winter months, and to these must be added the vast number of these birds that breed in the mountains throughout our hunting grounds.The ornithologist divides the ducks into two subfamilies; the fresh-water ducks forming the subfamily,Anatinæ, and the salt-water ducks the subfamily,Fullgilinæ. These two families can easily be distinguished by their feet. If a salt-water duck, the hind toe will be found to have a small web or flap on the under side, but if the bird belongs to the fresh-water group, the toe will be as clean as any land bird.[Pg 54]MALLARD (Anas boschas)THE MALLARD(Anas boschas)The mallard is possibly the best known duck in America, it being found in greater or less numbers everywhere from the Arctic to Central America. It is a resident species throughout the Pacific Coast, breeding on the mountain lakes and streams from Mexico to Alaska, and even to a considerable extent on the lower marshes of California, Oregon and Washington. On the fresh water ponds and overflows they congregate in great numbers during the winter months and a bag limit of twenty is no uncommon thing. Like all of the fres-hwater ducks of this Coast, they, too, are often found in considerable numbers on the tide lands and salt marshes.The mallard of the Pacific Coast can hardly be said to be a migratory duck, for it breeds from Mexico north. Its migrations consisting more of altitudinal movements than of longitudinal. While it breeds on the mountain lakes of Mexico, it is rarely seen in the higher altitudes during the winter months.Hybrids between the mallard and the pin-tail and the mallard and the widgeon have been occasionally met with on the marshes of the Coast. This is most likely caused by the mating of cripples that had not the strength to make the flight to their usual breeding grounds.Color—Male—Head and neck, dark green with a metallic luster; white ring around the neck at the bottom of the green; back, gray; breast, chestnut brown; under parts dirty white; tail, black with two feathers curled upwards; speculum, (see diagram) purple, bordered with black and white.Female—Head, dark buff; breast, lighter buff with brown mottlings; legs, orange colored; speculum same as the male; bill, yellow, blotched with brown.Nest and Eggs—The nest is placed on the ground and lined with grass, feathers and down. The eggs number eight to a dozen and are of a greenish tinge.Measurements—Male—Total length, from 20 to 25 inches; wing, 10 to 12 inches; bill, 21/2inches.Female—Total length, from 18 to 20 inches; wing, 9 to 10 inches; bill, 2 to 21/4inches.[Pg 56]GADWALL (Anas strepera)THE GADWALL(Anas strepera)The gadwall was at one time quite plentiful on the shooting grounds of California, south of San Francisco; but, on account of our season opening later and closing earlier than in years past, few are killed now. The gadwall is really a southern duck, coming into the United States to breed. When the California season opened on the first of September and closed the first of April, there were plenty of gadwall found on its ponds in the early fall and late in the spring. Now, but few are killed except in the southern part of the state. Such as are killed are generally found on the mountain lakes and ponds of the higher valleys. On the waters of Mexico and Lower California, however, they are met with in good numbers.The gadwall, however, migrates as far north as British Columbia for breeding purposes as well as breeding on the mountain lakes of all the territory through which it ranges.Color—Male—Head, light brown, finely mottled with dark brown and black; neck and breast, finely streaked with wavy black and white; under parts, grayish white; rump and tail, black; speculum, black and white, with the lesser wing-coverts chestnut; feet, orange, and bill nearly white.Female—Closely resembling the male but with very little chestnut on the wings.Nest and Eggs—The nest which is usually made a little way back from the water is lined with dead grass, and contains from ten to twelve eggs of a light buff color.Measurements—Total length, about 19 inches; wing, 10, and bill, 1.60.[Pg 58]WIDGEON (Anas americana)THE WIDGEON(Anas Americana)The widgeon is one of the most common ducks of the Coast, both north and south. As well as being one of the most plentiful of the interior lakes and ponds, they are found in great numbers on the salt marshes and tide overflows, and even form great dark patches on the ocean as they take their midday rest on its bosom a mile or so beyond the surf. They breed on the mountain lakes and streams all along the Coast from Mexico north.The widgeon begins its migrations early in the fall and great numbers find their way as far south as the Coast marshes and lower lakes of Mexico. They feed largely on the plains and frequent the fields in search of grain. In migrating or flying from pond to pond they usually go in quite large flocks.Color—Male—Head, pinkish white on top, with a greenish streak from the eye back to the ociput; below this the head and neck are speckled with black and white; back and wing-coverts, gray with fine markings of black; breast, a light brick red with a purplish cast; speculum, black and green. Axillars, white with dark shafts.Female—The female resembles the male in all but the green on the head and the reddish color of the breast.Nest and Eggs—The nest is generally built in some tuft of grass or thick weeds near some water's edge. The eggs average about a dozen and are of very light brownish white.Measurements—Total length, 18 inches; wing 91/2, and bill, 11/2.[Pg 60]GREEN-WINGED TEAL (Anas carolinensis)GREEN-WINGED TEAL(Anas carolinensis)The green-winged teal is another variety that is very plentiful on the Coast, breeding in great numbers on our mountain lakes and along the streams from Mexico to Alaska, and even to considerable extent on the lower marshes, especially from central California north. While many of these are killed on the salt marshes and tide lands, they are more generally frequenters of the inland ponds and overflows. Nesting late and maturing early, they are both a late and early duck on our shooting grounds, and remain constantly with us during the whole winter. Shooting on a pass over which the teal are flying from one pond to another furnishes about the finest sport of the duck shooter's life. In such cases they come in small flocks, and single birds must be selected; being a small mark and very rapid flyers they require a good lead and quick work. In fact, a brace of green-winged teal with a pressing engagement at the next pond makes about as pretty a target as the sportsman often fires at.The green-winged teal, like the widgeon, feeds a great deal on the plains and in the fields.Color—Male—Top of head and neck, brown of a chestnut tinge, the feathers forming almost a crest; a broad stripe of green runs back from the eye to the neck; back and sides, mottled gray; breast, buff, shaded to white on the abdomen and spotted with black; speculum, green.Female—The top of the head of the female is a rusty brown, and with a very faint stripe on the sides; upper parts, gray, spotted with black; speculum, green.Nest and Eggs—The nest of the green-winged teal is generally a little more carefully made than most of the ground nesting ducks. The eggs average about ten and are of a light brownish buff.Measurements—The green-winged teal is the smallest of the fresh-water ducks. Total length, about 14 inches; wing, 71/4; bill, 11/4inches.[Pg 62]CINNAMON TEAL (Anas cyanoptera)THE CINNAMON TEAL(Anas cyanoptera)The cinnamon teal, very commonly called the blue-winged teal by the sportsmen of the Coast, is only a late fall and early spring bird on our shooting grounds north of Lower California and Mexico. While the cinnamon teal has a blue wing there is no resemblance between the male cinnamon and the male blue-winged. The females of the two species, however, have a marked resemblance in color but a wide difference in shape of body. The female cinnamon teal is much darker on the throat than the blue-winged female, and generally shows a considerable of the cinnamon color of the male. The male of the blue-winged teal partakes more of the grayish color of the green-winged variety and has a white crescent in front of the eye. The northern limit of the cinnamon teal is about the latitude of San Francisco so far as their appearance on our shooting grounds is concerned. A few, however, go farther north for breeding purposes. They are quite common in the southern part of California, where they come to breed. They winter in Mexico, Lower California and Arizona in great numbers. They nest on the mountain lakes and along the mountain streams of California and even as far north as Oregon. In southern California they nest along the salt-water marshes, especially those of Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.Color—Male—The male bird cannot well be mistaken for that of any other species. The general color being a dark cinnamon, or in fact much nearer a chestnut in color; the head being somewhat darker than the rest of the bird; the upper wing-coverts being blue, form a large patch of blue at the shoulders when the wing is at rest; the speculum, like that of all the teal is green.Female—The female resembles the female of the blue-winged teal, but is a little larger with a longer and slimmer body; the chin is dusky and the throat is speckled; the breast also has a slight tinge of the cinnamon color of the male.Nest and Eggs—The nests are built generally in long grass patches of the low grounds bordering the streams and lakes and even the salt marshes. The eggs which average about a dozen are of a peculiar light creamy color with a faint bluish tinge.Measurements—Total length, 16 inches; wing, 71/2; bill, 13/4.[Pg 64]BLUE-WINGED TEAL (Anas discors)THE BLUE-WINGED TEAL(Anas discors)The blue-winged teal is only a straggler north of Lower California, Arizona and Mexico. In Mexico and Lower California I know them to be quite common, and reasonably plentiful in some parts of Arizona.The blue-winged teal is a plumper bird than either of the other species, and not near so handsomely marked. It is a rapid flyer and affords good shooting in those sections where it is plentiful.Color—Male—Head, a glossy purplish gray, darker on top; between the eye and the bill is a white crescent-shaped mark about one-fourth wider in its center than the eye; the wing-coverts are blue like those of the cinnamon teal; back, dark gray; under parts, gray, spotted with black; speculum, rich green; bill, black, and legs and feet, yellow.Female—The female resembles the female of the cinnamon teal; but unlike the cinnamon it has no dark markings under the chin, or any of the cinnamon color faintly seen on the cinnamon female. The bill also is much shorter, and the legs are of a yellowish tinge.Nest and Eggs—The nests are much the same as the other members of the teal family. The eggs about a dozen in number are pale buff.Measurements—Total length, 15 inches; wing, about 7, and bill, 11/2inches.[Pg 68]SHOVELLER OR SPOON-BILL (Spatula clypeata)THE SPOON-BILL OR SHOVELLER(Spatula clypeata)The shoveler, or spoonbill, as they are commonly called, is also an early duck upon our ponds; they, too, breed throughout the mountains of our hunting grounds. When they first arrive on our ponds they are very fat and finely flavored, but they soon become poor of flesh and lose the flavor brought with them from their mountain homes. And then they are generally let pass undisturbed by the discriminating sportsman.Color—Male—Head and neck, green; breast, white, shading into rusty chestnut toward the abdomen; lesser wing-coverts, blue; speculum, green, with white border; legs, orange red.Female—The female is much smaller than the male and lacks all its high coloring. The general color is buff, mottled with brown; wing-coverts and speculum, same as the male.Nest and Eggs—The nest, which is a rude affair, generally contains from seven to ten eggs of a light buff color.Measurements—Total length of the male, about 20 and the female, 18 inches; wing, 9 to 91/2; bill, about 21/2to 23/4inches, and very broad at the end.[Pg 66]PIN-TAIL OR SPRIG (Dafila acuta)THE PIN-TAIL(Dafila acuta)The pin-tail, or sprig is another very common duck of the Coast. Great numbers of this species breed on our mountain lakes and, maturing early, they are about the first to appear upon our shooting grounds, great flocks reaching as far south as San Diego county, the mouth of the Colorado river and the lakes and marshes of Lower California, Arizona and northern Mexico as early as the middle of August or the first of September. They come from the mountains plump and fat, and as soon as the shooting season is open prove quite acceptable to the epicure.The pin-tail ranges throughout the territory covered by this work and far to the north of it, and the fact that they breed around the mountain lakes for the whole distance accounts for their early appearance on the shooting grounds of the Coast.Color—Male—Head and neck, rich brown, with a white stripe running from the ociput down the sides of the neck to the breast; bill, lead color, with a black stripe along the top; back, gray; breast, white; central tail feathers, very long and pointed; speculum, light smoky brown, edged with white.Female—The female is much more of an ocher brown than the male, and without the stripe on the neck or the lead color of the bill. The top of the head and the sides of the neck are streaked with brown; breast, spotted with dark brown; under parts, white. While it somewhat resembles the female mallard, the much narrower bill and difference of the speculum should prevent any error in identification. Besides the tail is pointed and the axillars are white, barred with dark brown.Nest and Eggs—The nest is usually back a little distance from the water's edge and contains from eight to twelve bluish-white eggs.Measurements—Total length, male, 28 and female, 22 inches; wing, 91/2; bill, 2 inches.WOOD DUCK (Aix sponsa)THE WOOD DUCK(Aix sponsa)The wood duck, the handsomest of all the American ducks, is not plentiful anywhere, and seems to be growing fewer in numbers. Ornithologists class them as resident ducks, breeding throughout their range. From my personal experience I believe that they are migratory, at least to a considerable extent, for while many flocks of from half a dozen to twenty birds can be seen along the timbered portions of the Sacramento river during the summer months and the early fall, as well as along other wooded streams of the Coast, few are to be seen during the shooting season. From this fact I can draw but one conclusion; they migrate south in the winter. A few are killed each winter but they can only be considered a rare duck whose beauty lends an occasional charm to the game bag.Color—Male—The male has a long crest falling down the back of the neck and showing a green and purple luster; the bill is red with a dark stripe on top; a broad stripe of white commences under the bill and passes down the neck, meeting another stripe of white that nearly encompasses the neck; sides and front of lower neck, brownish purple, dotted with white; back,a bronze green; speculum, bluish purple, bordered with black and white.Female—The general plan of the markings of the female is the same as that of the male, but the colors are not so bright, nor the crest so long. The crest is more of a brown, and the breast a pale brown, mottled with dark spots.Nest and Eggs—The nest is built in the hollow of a tree or stump, and occasionally a considerable distance above the ground. The eggs, which average about eight, are of a pale brownish white. The young are taken from the nest in the bill of the mother, and are often seen perched on her back while she is swimming around in search of food.Measurements—Total length of the male, about 18 inches, with the female about an inch less; wing, 91/4to 91/2; bill 13/8inches.THE FULVOUS TREE DUCK(Dendrocygna fulva)The fulvous tree-duck, commonly called the Mexican tree-duck, and cavalier, as well as the black-bellied tree-duck (Dendrosygna autumnalis), according to the classification of the ornithologist, belong to the subfamily,Anserinæ, the same family as the geese. The fact that they have a bill more like that of the goose than any other duck, a goose neck also, and that there is no difference in the sexes will show the reason for such classification. Their generic name, however, signifies tree-swan. The fulvous tree-duck ranges on our hunting grounds as far north as Sacramento, where occasionally one is killed. They come here only to breed and, therefore, late in the season. Quite a few are killed in southern California, and from Arizona and Lower California south they are very plentiful. The black-bellied tree-duck is only met with as a straggler north of Chihuahua, Mexico. Another species of the same genus (Dendrosygna elegans) is a still more southern bird, seldom seen north of the state of Guerrero.Color—Sides of head and neck and lower parts, buff; top of head, back of neck and back, dark brown; wings, dark brown; neck, long and slim; bill, resembles that of a goose very much. Both sexes alike.Nest and Eggs—The nests are generally built in a hollow tree or stump. The eggs number from ten to fifteen and are of an ochreous white.Measurements—Wing, about 91/2; bill, 13/4inches.Order, ANSERESFamily, ANATIDAE Subfamily, ANATINAE(Fresh water ducks)GenusSpeciesCommon NamesRange and Breeding GroundsAnasleft braceboschasMallardleft braceThroughout the scope of this work. Breeds wherever found.streperaGadwallleft braceFrom Central California south. Breeds wherever found.americanaWidgeon Baldpateleft braceFrom British America south. Breeds on the mountain lakes from California south.carolinensisGreen-winged tealleft braceFrom British America south. Breeds throughout its range.cyanopteraCinnamon tealleft braceFrom Central California south. Breeds from Central California to Central Mexico.discorsBlue-winged tealleft braceFrom Arizona south into Mexico. Breeds throughout lakes from Mexico north.Spatulaclypeataleft braceShoveller orSpoon-billleft braceFrom British America south. Breeds on the mountain lakes from Mexico north.Dafilaacutaleft bracePin-tail or Sprigleft braceFrom British America south. Breeds from Central California north.AixsponsaWood duckleft braceAlong the wooded streams from Central California north. Breeds wherever found.THE BAY and SEA DUCKSAs I have already stated the ducks are divided into two subfamilies, the one theAnatinæ, commonly called fresh-water ducks, the other theFuligulinæ, commonly known as the salt-water ducks. A distinguishing feature of the salt-water ducks is the little flap or web on the hind toe, which is not seen in the fresh-water varieties.On our shooting grounds, however, whether the blind is on the salt-water marsh or the fresh-water pond, both kinds are sure to fall to the gun in almost equal numbers. Of the more common of the fresh-water varieties the gadwall and the mallard are seen the least on the salt marshes and the tide overflows, yet even these are quite often met with in these places. So it is with the salt-water species. All except the scoters are frequenters of the mountain lakes, fresh-water ponds and overflows. The red-head, both species of the scaups, the canvasback and the ruddy are commonly found on the fresh-waters. The ring-neck, and, in fact, the red-head are much more common on these waters than on the salt or brackish marshes.With the exception, therefore, that certain species always predominate at a given place at certain times of the season, the sportsman's aim brings down a well-assorted bag, let him shoot where he may, on marsh, pond or overflow, from Washington to Mexico.[Pg 74]CANVASBACK (Aythya vallisnaria)THE CANVASBACK(Aythya vallisneria)The canvasback, the duck par excellence of the Eastern states, is very plentiful in the more northern portions of the territorial scope of these articles, though I have seen them in good numbers on the lakes of Mexico. It is the general supposition that the canvasback breeds in the far north, but from the fact that they are found on the lakes of Mexico as early as October, they must also breed on the higher lakes of our mountains. On our lower marshes they are a late duck, but they appear on our mountain lakes quite early in the season. Canvasback shooting on our waters affords the finest of sport, as it does not partake so much of flock shooting as it does on the Chesapeake and the Delaware rivers. While I certainly prefer our shooting, by no means do I prefer our ducks. When killed on the mountain lakes, our canvasback possesses nearly if not quite as fine flavor as do those of the Eastern states, but when killed on the bays and salt marshes of California they are fishy and barely palatable. This is caused by the absence of the so-called wild celery, properly tape grass (Vallisneria spiralis), the common food of the Eastern canvasback. Our birds have the habit of feeding largely on the shallow waters of the tide lands and marshes and of consuming large quantities of crustaceans, such as clams, crabs, mussels and the like, and it takes but a few days' diet of this kind to make the canvasback about the poorest of ducks. I have killed these ducks on the high lakes and ponds of Mexico, when, on account of something they fed upon, they were really unfit to eat.Color—Male—Head and neck, nearly black; back, light gray; bill, black, and forming nearly a straight line from the tip to the crown of the head; belly and flanks, nearly white.Female—Head and neck, cinnamon brown, paler on the throat; back, dark gray.Nest and Eggs—The nest of the canvasback is generally found on some little knoll in the marsh, and is lined with dead grass and feathers, and often with considerable down. The eggs, which are about ten in number, are of a dark creamy white.Measurements—Total length, from 18 to 22 inches; the more northern birds within the territory here covered will always be found considerably larger than those of the more southern latitudes. Wing, 8 to 91/2inches, and bill about 21/2inches.[Pg 76]RED-HEAD (Aythya americana)THE RED-HEAD(Aythya americana)The red-head is quite a common duck in the southern sections of the Coast hunting grounds. Though purely a bay or salt-water duck, that is, belonging to the subfamilyFuligulinæ, it is not found to any great extent on the salt-water marshes, preferring the higher lakes, ponds and reservoirs of the mountain valleys and foothills. I found them one season in great numbers on the San Rafael marshes, high up in the mountains of Lower California, and all the shooting two friends and myself wished to do had no effect in driving them away, although the ponds of the marsh were few and small.Color—Male—Head and neck, reddish chestnut; lower neck and upper breast, sooty brown, a mixture of finely penciled lines of gray and brown; speculum, gray; back, gray; feathers on the top of the head almost form a crest; bill, lead color.Female—Head and neck, light cinnamon brown, very pale on the sides of the head near the bill, and throat nearly white; breast and shoulders, dirty light brown, and back a darker dirty brown.Nest and Eggs—The nest, like that of the canvasback, is generally built in the marsh or on the low banks of a lake, usually lined with down and contains about ten eggs of a brownish buff color.Measurements—Total length, about 20 inches; wing, 81/4to 81/2; bill barely 21/4inches.[Pg 78]AMERICAN SCAUP DUCK OR BLUE-BILL (Aythya marila neartica)THE AMERICAN SCAUP, OR BLUE-BILL(Aythya marila neartica)The American scaup, or blue-bill, the lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) and the ring-neck (Aythya collaris) are very plentiful from Washington to Mexico. These three species are generally grouped together by the sportsmen of the Coast under the name of black jacks, black ducks, black-heads or blue-bills; all three species being considered as belonging to the one variety, and the lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) as the younger birds. With the males, at least, there should be no excuse for this error, for they can be easily distinguished by the color of the speculum, or bright band on the wings, and by the color of the metallic sheen of the head and neck. The speculum of the American scaup, or larger blue-bill, is white, the head and neck showing a greenish sheen, quite pronounced in the sunlight. The lesser scaup, or little blue-bill (Aythya affinis) has a white speculum also, but the sheen of the head and neck is purple. The ring-neck (Aythya collaris), has a gray speculum, which, though quite light in color, can easily be distinguished from the pure white of the other two. The metallic sheen of the head of the ring-neck is a dark indigo blue. The bill of the ring-neck is quite different from that of the scaups, being much darker in color and more of a sooty tinge and with a faint bluish band across it about half an inch from the end. The females of all three species resemble each other very closely, but the difference in size will generally determine to which species they belong. The two blue-bills can be told from the female ring-neck by their white speculums. The female ring-neck has the gray of the male, but this does not distinguish it from the female red-head. The smaller size of the ring-neck and darker appearance of the head and neck will always indicate to which species the female belongs. The bill of the female red-head meets the skull in quite an abrupt manner, while hat of the ring-neck has more of the sloping character of the canvasback.Color—Male—Head and neck, black, showing a green luster in the sun; back, gray, finely lined with black; under parts, white; speculum, white.Female—Head, dead brown, with a light gray patch at the base of the bill blending into the brown of the head; breast and back, dirty brown; under parts, white; speculum, white; bill, bluish.Nest and Eggs—The nest is a crude affair near the water's edge, containing about ten pale olive-buff eggs.Measurements—Total length, about 18 inches; wing, 81/2, and bill, 17/8inches. The females are but a trifle smaller.THE LESSER SCAUP, OR LITTLE BLUE-BILL(Aythya affinis)The little blue-bill, or lesser scaup, like its larger relative, is a cosmopolitan species, and commonly met with in flocks of the other, which has led to the common error of classing the two together, the one as the elder and the other as the younger birds.While in general color and markings they are very similar, there is so much difference in their size that they should be easily distinguished. With the males this is very easy for the head of the larger species has a green sheen, the head of the lesser has a purple sheen as shown in the sun. The bill of this species is more of a blue and much smaller, being not over 11/2inches in length.Color—The color and markings are the same as the American scaup, with the exception that the metallic sheen of the head, as already mentioned, is purple.Nest and Eggs—The same as the American scaup.Measurements—Total length, about 161/2inches; wing, 71/2, and bill 11/2inches.[Pg 80]RING-NECK (Aythya collaris)THE RING-NECK(Aythya collaris)In the breeding season the ring-neck male has a dirty orange ring around the neck which disappears wholly, or nearly so, before the beginning of the hunting season. The ring-neck is generally more plentiful on the fresh waters. I have seen great numbers of them at the mouth of the Colorado river. In fact, both the ring-neck and the lesser scaup range much farther south than do the larger species, for while few of the larger scaup are seen in Mexico, great quantities of the little blue-bills are found throughout the republic, especially on the salt marshes of the two coasts. All of these three species breed along the mountain lakes from California north.Color—Male—Head and neck, black, with an indigo sheen when turned in the sun. This will always distinguish it from the larger blue-bill whose sheen is green and the lesser blue-bill whose sheen is purple. The speculum is gray; bill, bluish with a pale blue band across it about a half inch from the end.Female—The female of this species resembles the female of the red-head very closely. It is considerable darker, however, and the bill joins the head without the marked indentation seen in the red-head.Nest and Eggs—The nest and eggs are the same as the scaups.Measurements—Total length, 171/2inches; wing, 8, and bill, 2 inches.[Pg 82]
THE WATERFOWL
The great variety of the waterfowl of the Pacific Coast, the wonderful numbers in which they are found and the excellent shooting they afford, forms a subject, which, to do it justice, would require the space of an ordinary volume.
With the exception of the Gulf tier of the Southern states, waterfowl on the Atlantic Coast are but birds of passage, tarrying for a time on their way to milder winter quarters; tourists loitering for a day or two at attractive by-stations as they wing their way south in the fall and again on their return north in the spring. They are leaving the isolation of the far north or the mountain lakes and marshes where they spent the summer rearing their young and they are seeking more favorable feeding grounds in the milder climate of the South, where animal and vegetable life is not in the state of hibernation which prevents it from furnishing them with an abundance of food during their southern sojourn.
Over the larger portion of our hunting grounds what is the beginning of the calendar year is in fact the beginning of our spring. When the frost king lays his hand upon all vegetable and insect life in the East, spreading his white shroud over field and pasture and breaking with his icy sleet from the vine and the brush their clinging leaves; when from the trees have fallen the last vestige of their autumnal crowns of gold and crimson; when the last flower has shed its petals; when the last hum of insect is heard and the last song of bird has died away on the southern horizon—'tis then the early rains of the Coast start the new sown grain in the fields, give life again to the grasses of the plains, carpet the foothills and the valleys with the gold and purple and crimson of innumerable flowers, and our veritable spring commences.
With us, therefore, waterfowl are not passing pilgrims, tarrying for a few days only as they rest and feed on their way to the open waters and green pastures in which they intend to pass those months marked winter on the calendar of the year. They are not mere hurrying flocks alighting now and again as they wing their way back to their breeding grounds in the spring But ours is the Mecca to which they journey; ours the feeding grounds on which they assemble from the lakes and marshes of the Arctic; from the whole chain of the Aleutian Islands; from the inland seas of British Columbia and from the mountain lakes of our own Sierras from Washington to Mexico. Here on the bays, estuaries and marshes of the coast and the lakes and ponds of the valleys, throughout the whole length of these hunting grounds, countless millions of these birds have found their winter feeding grounds for unnumbered ages. No cold, no ice, no snow, no howling blizzards to stop them in their search for food or disturb their midday rest upon our quiet waters. In warmth they feed upon the tender shoots of the young grasses that fringe their watery haunts or bask in sunshine on the sandy shores.
It is the popular impression that all ducks breed in the far north and migrate from there south. One has only to shoot on the lakes of Mexico to learn how erroneous this impression is, for one will meet varieties quite common there that rarely if ever reach the southern boundaries of the United States.
The masked duck (Nomonyx dominicus) is a purely southern species reaching Mexico only in its breeding season. The three species of the Mexican tree duck, quite common in that country, come but little into the United States. One of these, the black-bellied tree duck (Dendrosygna autumnalis) migrates to some little extent into Texas and to less extent into New Mexico and Arizona. The fulvous tree duck (Dendrosygna fulva) extends its migrations still farther north, breeding to considerable extent in Arizona and southern California, but rarely seen as far north as the center of the state. The other species of the genus (Dendrosygna elegans), for which I know no English name, is even rare as far south as southern Jalisco. The cinnamon teal is a southern duck, breeding in Arizona, Texas and southern California but so rarely seen north of San Francisco that a gentleman who had killed a straggler near Marysville, when showing it to me, said that he couldn't find a man in the town who could tell him what it was. Yet the cinnamon teal is very common in Mexico and Arizona and quite plentiful in southern California in the spring, before the flocks break up and the birds seek their nesting places.
Northern bred ducks and purely northern species visit us in great numbers during the winter months, and to these must be added the vast number of these birds that breed in the mountains throughout our hunting grounds.
The ornithologist divides the ducks into two subfamilies; the fresh-water ducks forming the subfamily,Anatinæ, and the salt-water ducks the subfamily,Fullgilinæ. These two families can easily be distinguished by their feet. If a salt-water duck, the hind toe will be found to have a small web or flap on the under side, but if the bird belongs to the fresh-water group, the toe will be as clean as any land bird.
[Pg 54]
MALLARD (Anas boschas)
THE MALLARD
(Anas boschas)
The mallard is possibly the best known duck in America, it being found in greater or less numbers everywhere from the Arctic to Central America. It is a resident species throughout the Pacific Coast, breeding on the mountain lakes and streams from Mexico to Alaska, and even to a considerable extent on the lower marshes of California, Oregon and Washington. On the fresh water ponds and overflows they congregate in great numbers during the winter months and a bag limit of twenty is no uncommon thing. Like all of the fres-hwater ducks of this Coast, they, too, are often found in considerable numbers on the tide lands and salt marshes.
The mallard of the Pacific Coast can hardly be said to be a migratory duck, for it breeds from Mexico north. Its migrations consisting more of altitudinal movements than of longitudinal. While it breeds on the mountain lakes of Mexico, it is rarely seen in the higher altitudes during the winter months.
Hybrids between the mallard and the pin-tail and the mallard and the widgeon have been occasionally met with on the marshes of the Coast. This is most likely caused by the mating of cripples that had not the strength to make the flight to their usual breeding grounds.
Color—Male—Head and neck, dark green with a metallic luster; white ring around the neck at the bottom of the green; back, gray; breast, chestnut brown; under parts dirty white; tail, black with two feathers curled upwards; speculum, (see diagram) purple, bordered with black and white.
Female—Head, dark buff; breast, lighter buff with brown mottlings; legs, orange colored; speculum same as the male; bill, yellow, blotched with brown.
Nest and Eggs—The nest is placed on the ground and lined with grass, feathers and down. The eggs number eight to a dozen and are of a greenish tinge.
Measurements—Male—Total length, from 20 to 25 inches; wing, 10 to 12 inches; bill, 21/2inches.
Female—Total length, from 18 to 20 inches; wing, 9 to 10 inches; bill, 2 to 21/4inches.
[Pg 56]
GADWALL (Anas strepera)
THE GADWALL
(Anas strepera)
The gadwall was at one time quite plentiful on the shooting grounds of California, south of San Francisco; but, on account of our season opening later and closing earlier than in years past, few are killed now. The gadwall is really a southern duck, coming into the United States to breed. When the California season opened on the first of September and closed the first of April, there were plenty of gadwall found on its ponds in the early fall and late in the spring. Now, but few are killed except in the southern part of the state. Such as are killed are generally found on the mountain lakes and ponds of the higher valleys. On the waters of Mexico and Lower California, however, they are met with in good numbers.
The gadwall, however, migrates as far north as British Columbia for breeding purposes as well as breeding on the mountain lakes of all the territory through which it ranges.
Color—Male—Head, light brown, finely mottled with dark brown and black; neck and breast, finely streaked with wavy black and white; under parts, grayish white; rump and tail, black; speculum, black and white, with the lesser wing-coverts chestnut; feet, orange, and bill nearly white.
Female—Closely resembling the male but with very little chestnut on the wings.
Nest and Eggs—The nest which is usually made a little way back from the water is lined with dead grass, and contains from ten to twelve eggs of a light buff color.
Measurements—Total length, about 19 inches; wing, 10, and bill, 1.60.
[Pg 58]
WIDGEON (Anas americana)
THE WIDGEON
(Anas Americana)
The widgeon is one of the most common ducks of the Coast, both north and south. As well as being one of the most plentiful of the interior lakes and ponds, they are found in great numbers on the salt marshes and tide overflows, and even form great dark patches on the ocean as they take their midday rest on its bosom a mile or so beyond the surf. They breed on the mountain lakes and streams all along the Coast from Mexico north.
The widgeon begins its migrations early in the fall and great numbers find their way as far south as the Coast marshes and lower lakes of Mexico. They feed largely on the plains and frequent the fields in search of grain. In migrating or flying from pond to pond they usually go in quite large flocks.
Color—Male—Head, pinkish white on top, with a greenish streak from the eye back to the ociput; below this the head and neck are speckled with black and white; back and wing-coverts, gray with fine markings of black; breast, a light brick red with a purplish cast; speculum, black and green. Axillars, white with dark shafts.
Female—The female resembles the male in all but the green on the head and the reddish color of the breast.
Nest and Eggs—The nest is generally built in some tuft of grass or thick weeds near some water's edge. The eggs average about a dozen and are of very light brownish white.
Measurements—Total length, 18 inches; wing 91/2, and bill, 11/2.
[Pg 60]
GREEN-WINGED TEAL (Anas carolinensis)
GREEN-WINGED TEAL
(Anas carolinensis)
The green-winged teal is another variety that is very plentiful on the Coast, breeding in great numbers on our mountain lakes and along the streams from Mexico to Alaska, and even to considerable extent on the lower marshes, especially from central California north. While many of these are killed on the salt marshes and tide lands, they are more generally frequenters of the inland ponds and overflows. Nesting late and maturing early, they are both a late and early duck on our shooting grounds, and remain constantly with us during the whole winter. Shooting on a pass over which the teal are flying from one pond to another furnishes about the finest sport of the duck shooter's life. In such cases they come in small flocks, and single birds must be selected; being a small mark and very rapid flyers they require a good lead and quick work. In fact, a brace of green-winged teal with a pressing engagement at the next pond makes about as pretty a target as the sportsman often fires at.
The green-winged teal, like the widgeon, feeds a great deal on the plains and in the fields.
Color—Male—Top of head and neck, brown of a chestnut tinge, the feathers forming almost a crest; a broad stripe of green runs back from the eye to the neck; back and sides, mottled gray; breast, buff, shaded to white on the abdomen and spotted with black; speculum, green.
Female—The top of the head of the female is a rusty brown, and with a very faint stripe on the sides; upper parts, gray, spotted with black; speculum, green.
Nest and Eggs—The nest of the green-winged teal is generally a little more carefully made than most of the ground nesting ducks. The eggs average about ten and are of a light brownish buff.
Measurements—The green-winged teal is the smallest of the fresh-water ducks. Total length, about 14 inches; wing, 71/4; bill, 11/4inches.
[Pg 62]
CINNAMON TEAL (Anas cyanoptera)
THE CINNAMON TEAL
(Anas cyanoptera)
The cinnamon teal, very commonly called the blue-winged teal by the sportsmen of the Coast, is only a late fall and early spring bird on our shooting grounds north of Lower California and Mexico. While the cinnamon teal has a blue wing there is no resemblance between the male cinnamon and the male blue-winged. The females of the two species, however, have a marked resemblance in color but a wide difference in shape of body. The female cinnamon teal is much darker on the throat than the blue-winged female, and generally shows a considerable of the cinnamon color of the male. The male of the blue-winged teal partakes more of the grayish color of the green-winged variety and has a white crescent in front of the eye. The northern limit of the cinnamon teal is about the latitude of San Francisco so far as their appearance on our shooting grounds is concerned. A few, however, go farther north for breeding purposes. They are quite common in the southern part of California, where they come to breed. They winter in Mexico, Lower California and Arizona in great numbers. They nest on the mountain lakes and along the mountain streams of California and even as far north as Oregon. In southern California they nest along the salt-water marshes, especially those of Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.
Color—Male—The male bird cannot well be mistaken for that of any other species. The general color being a dark cinnamon, or in fact much nearer a chestnut in color; the head being somewhat darker than the rest of the bird; the upper wing-coverts being blue, form a large patch of blue at the shoulders when the wing is at rest; the speculum, like that of all the teal is green.
Female—The female resembles the female of the blue-winged teal, but is a little larger with a longer and slimmer body; the chin is dusky and the throat is speckled; the breast also has a slight tinge of the cinnamon color of the male.
Nest and Eggs—The nests are built generally in long grass patches of the low grounds bordering the streams and lakes and even the salt marshes. The eggs which average about a dozen are of a peculiar light creamy color with a faint bluish tinge.
Measurements—Total length, 16 inches; wing, 71/2; bill, 13/4.
[Pg 64]
BLUE-WINGED TEAL (Anas discors)
THE BLUE-WINGED TEAL
(Anas discors)
The blue-winged teal is only a straggler north of Lower California, Arizona and Mexico. In Mexico and Lower California I know them to be quite common, and reasonably plentiful in some parts of Arizona.
The blue-winged teal is a plumper bird than either of the other species, and not near so handsomely marked. It is a rapid flyer and affords good shooting in those sections where it is plentiful.
Color—Male—Head, a glossy purplish gray, darker on top; between the eye and the bill is a white crescent-shaped mark about one-fourth wider in its center than the eye; the wing-coverts are blue like those of the cinnamon teal; back, dark gray; under parts, gray, spotted with black; speculum, rich green; bill, black, and legs and feet, yellow.
Female—The female resembles the female of the cinnamon teal; but unlike the cinnamon it has no dark markings under the chin, or any of the cinnamon color faintly seen on the cinnamon female. The bill also is much shorter, and the legs are of a yellowish tinge.
Nest and Eggs—The nests are much the same as the other members of the teal family. The eggs about a dozen in number are pale buff.
Measurements—Total length, 15 inches; wing, about 7, and bill, 11/2inches.
[Pg 68]
SHOVELLER OR SPOON-BILL (Spatula clypeata)
THE SPOON-BILL OR SHOVELLER
(Spatula clypeata)
The shoveler, or spoonbill, as they are commonly called, is also an early duck upon our ponds; they, too, breed throughout the mountains of our hunting grounds. When they first arrive on our ponds they are very fat and finely flavored, but they soon become poor of flesh and lose the flavor brought with them from their mountain homes. And then they are generally let pass undisturbed by the discriminating sportsman.
Color—Male—Head and neck, green; breast, white, shading into rusty chestnut toward the abdomen; lesser wing-coverts, blue; speculum, green, with white border; legs, orange red.
Female—The female is much smaller than the male and lacks all its high coloring. The general color is buff, mottled with brown; wing-coverts and speculum, same as the male.
Nest and Eggs—The nest, which is a rude affair, generally contains from seven to ten eggs of a light buff color.
Measurements—Total length of the male, about 20 and the female, 18 inches; wing, 9 to 91/2; bill, about 21/2to 23/4inches, and very broad at the end.
[Pg 66]
PIN-TAIL OR SPRIG (Dafila acuta)
THE PIN-TAIL
(Dafila acuta)
The pin-tail, or sprig is another very common duck of the Coast. Great numbers of this species breed on our mountain lakes and, maturing early, they are about the first to appear upon our shooting grounds, great flocks reaching as far south as San Diego county, the mouth of the Colorado river and the lakes and marshes of Lower California, Arizona and northern Mexico as early as the middle of August or the first of September. They come from the mountains plump and fat, and as soon as the shooting season is open prove quite acceptable to the epicure.
The pin-tail ranges throughout the territory covered by this work and far to the north of it, and the fact that they breed around the mountain lakes for the whole distance accounts for their early appearance on the shooting grounds of the Coast.
Color—Male—Head and neck, rich brown, with a white stripe running from the ociput down the sides of the neck to the breast; bill, lead color, with a black stripe along the top; back, gray; breast, white; central tail feathers, very long and pointed; speculum, light smoky brown, edged with white.
Female—The female is much more of an ocher brown than the male, and without the stripe on the neck or the lead color of the bill. The top of the head and the sides of the neck are streaked with brown; breast, spotted with dark brown; under parts, white. While it somewhat resembles the female mallard, the much narrower bill and difference of the speculum should prevent any error in identification. Besides the tail is pointed and the axillars are white, barred with dark brown.
Nest and Eggs—The nest is usually back a little distance from the water's edge and contains from eight to twelve bluish-white eggs.
Measurements—Total length, male, 28 and female, 22 inches; wing, 91/2; bill, 2 inches.
WOOD DUCK (Aix sponsa)
THE WOOD DUCK
(Aix sponsa)
The wood duck, the handsomest of all the American ducks, is not plentiful anywhere, and seems to be growing fewer in numbers. Ornithologists class them as resident ducks, breeding throughout their range. From my personal experience I believe that they are migratory, at least to a considerable extent, for while many flocks of from half a dozen to twenty birds can be seen along the timbered portions of the Sacramento river during the summer months and the early fall, as well as along other wooded streams of the Coast, few are to be seen during the shooting season. From this fact I can draw but one conclusion; they migrate south in the winter. A few are killed each winter but they can only be considered a rare duck whose beauty lends an occasional charm to the game bag.
Color—Male—The male has a long crest falling down the back of the neck and showing a green and purple luster; the bill is red with a dark stripe on top; a broad stripe of white commences under the bill and passes down the neck, meeting another stripe of white that nearly encompasses the neck; sides and front of lower neck, brownish purple, dotted with white; back,a bronze green; speculum, bluish purple, bordered with black and white.
Female—The general plan of the markings of the female is the same as that of the male, but the colors are not so bright, nor the crest so long. The crest is more of a brown, and the breast a pale brown, mottled with dark spots.
Nest and Eggs—The nest is built in the hollow of a tree or stump, and occasionally a considerable distance above the ground. The eggs, which average about eight, are of a pale brownish white. The young are taken from the nest in the bill of the mother, and are often seen perched on her back while she is swimming around in search of food.
Measurements—Total length of the male, about 18 inches, with the female about an inch less; wing, 91/4to 91/2; bill 13/8inches.
THE FULVOUS TREE DUCK
(Dendrocygna fulva)
The fulvous tree-duck, commonly called the Mexican tree-duck, and cavalier, as well as the black-bellied tree-duck (Dendrosygna autumnalis), according to the classification of the ornithologist, belong to the subfamily,Anserinæ, the same family as the geese. The fact that they have a bill more like that of the goose than any other duck, a goose neck also, and that there is no difference in the sexes will show the reason for such classification. Their generic name, however, signifies tree-swan. The fulvous tree-duck ranges on our hunting grounds as far north as Sacramento, where occasionally one is killed. They come here only to breed and, therefore, late in the season. Quite a few are killed in southern California, and from Arizona and Lower California south they are very plentiful. The black-bellied tree-duck is only met with as a straggler north of Chihuahua, Mexico. Another species of the same genus (Dendrosygna elegans) is a still more southern bird, seldom seen north of the state of Guerrero.
Color—Sides of head and neck and lower parts, buff; top of head, back of neck and back, dark brown; wings, dark brown; neck, long and slim; bill, resembles that of a goose very much. Both sexes alike.
Nest and Eggs—The nests are generally built in a hollow tree or stump. The eggs number from ten to fifteen and are of an ochreous white.
Measurements—Wing, about 91/2; bill, 13/4inches.
Order, ANSERESFamily, ANATIDAE Subfamily, ANATINAE(Fresh water ducks)
THE BAY and SEA DUCKS
As I have already stated the ducks are divided into two subfamilies, the one theAnatinæ, commonly called fresh-water ducks, the other theFuligulinæ, commonly known as the salt-water ducks. A distinguishing feature of the salt-water ducks is the little flap or web on the hind toe, which is not seen in the fresh-water varieties.
On our shooting grounds, however, whether the blind is on the salt-water marsh or the fresh-water pond, both kinds are sure to fall to the gun in almost equal numbers. Of the more common of the fresh-water varieties the gadwall and the mallard are seen the least on the salt marshes and the tide overflows, yet even these are quite often met with in these places. So it is with the salt-water species. All except the scoters are frequenters of the mountain lakes, fresh-water ponds and overflows. The red-head, both species of the scaups, the canvasback and the ruddy are commonly found on the fresh-waters. The ring-neck, and, in fact, the red-head are much more common on these waters than on the salt or brackish marshes.
With the exception, therefore, that certain species always predominate at a given place at certain times of the season, the sportsman's aim brings down a well-assorted bag, let him shoot where he may, on marsh, pond or overflow, from Washington to Mexico.
[Pg 74]
CANVASBACK (Aythya vallisnaria)
THE CANVASBACK
(Aythya vallisneria)
The canvasback, the duck par excellence of the Eastern states, is very plentiful in the more northern portions of the territorial scope of these articles, though I have seen them in good numbers on the lakes of Mexico. It is the general supposition that the canvasback breeds in the far north, but from the fact that they are found on the lakes of Mexico as early as October, they must also breed on the higher lakes of our mountains. On our lower marshes they are a late duck, but they appear on our mountain lakes quite early in the season. Canvasback shooting on our waters affords the finest of sport, as it does not partake so much of flock shooting as it does on the Chesapeake and the Delaware rivers. While I certainly prefer our shooting, by no means do I prefer our ducks. When killed on the mountain lakes, our canvasback possesses nearly if not quite as fine flavor as do those of the Eastern states, but when killed on the bays and salt marshes of California they are fishy and barely palatable. This is caused by the absence of the so-called wild celery, properly tape grass (Vallisneria spiralis), the common food of the Eastern canvasback. Our birds have the habit of feeding largely on the shallow waters of the tide lands and marshes and of consuming large quantities of crustaceans, such as clams, crabs, mussels and the like, and it takes but a few days' diet of this kind to make the canvasback about the poorest of ducks. I have killed these ducks on the high lakes and ponds of Mexico, when, on account of something they fed upon, they were really unfit to eat.
Color—Male—Head and neck, nearly black; back, light gray; bill, black, and forming nearly a straight line from the tip to the crown of the head; belly and flanks, nearly white.
Female—Head and neck, cinnamon brown, paler on the throat; back, dark gray.
Nest and Eggs—The nest of the canvasback is generally found on some little knoll in the marsh, and is lined with dead grass and feathers, and often with considerable down. The eggs, which are about ten in number, are of a dark creamy white.
Measurements—Total length, from 18 to 22 inches; the more northern birds within the territory here covered will always be found considerably larger than those of the more southern latitudes. Wing, 8 to 91/2inches, and bill about 21/2inches.
[Pg 76]
RED-HEAD (Aythya americana)
THE RED-HEAD
(Aythya americana)
The red-head is quite a common duck in the southern sections of the Coast hunting grounds. Though purely a bay or salt-water duck, that is, belonging to the subfamilyFuligulinæ, it is not found to any great extent on the salt-water marshes, preferring the higher lakes, ponds and reservoirs of the mountain valleys and foothills. I found them one season in great numbers on the San Rafael marshes, high up in the mountains of Lower California, and all the shooting two friends and myself wished to do had no effect in driving them away, although the ponds of the marsh were few and small.
Color—Male—Head and neck, reddish chestnut; lower neck and upper breast, sooty brown, a mixture of finely penciled lines of gray and brown; speculum, gray; back, gray; feathers on the top of the head almost form a crest; bill, lead color.
Female—Head and neck, light cinnamon brown, very pale on the sides of the head near the bill, and throat nearly white; breast and shoulders, dirty light brown, and back a darker dirty brown.
Nest and Eggs—The nest, like that of the canvasback, is generally built in the marsh or on the low banks of a lake, usually lined with down and contains about ten eggs of a brownish buff color.
Measurements—Total length, about 20 inches; wing, 81/4to 81/2; bill barely 21/4inches.
[Pg 78]
AMERICAN SCAUP DUCK OR BLUE-BILL (Aythya marila neartica)
THE AMERICAN SCAUP, OR BLUE-BILL
(Aythya marila neartica)
The American scaup, or blue-bill, the lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) and the ring-neck (Aythya collaris) are very plentiful from Washington to Mexico. These three species are generally grouped together by the sportsmen of the Coast under the name of black jacks, black ducks, black-heads or blue-bills; all three species being considered as belonging to the one variety, and the lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) as the younger birds. With the males, at least, there should be no excuse for this error, for they can be easily distinguished by the color of the speculum, or bright band on the wings, and by the color of the metallic sheen of the head and neck. The speculum of the American scaup, or larger blue-bill, is white, the head and neck showing a greenish sheen, quite pronounced in the sunlight. The lesser scaup, or little blue-bill (Aythya affinis) has a white speculum also, but the sheen of the head and neck is purple. The ring-neck (Aythya collaris), has a gray speculum, which, though quite light in color, can easily be distinguished from the pure white of the other two. The metallic sheen of the head of the ring-neck is a dark indigo blue. The bill of the ring-neck is quite different from that of the scaups, being much darker in color and more of a sooty tinge and with a faint bluish band across it about half an inch from the end. The females of all three species resemble each other very closely, but the difference in size will generally determine to which species they belong. The two blue-bills can be told from the female ring-neck by their white speculums. The female ring-neck has the gray of the male, but this does not distinguish it from the female red-head. The smaller size of the ring-neck and darker appearance of the head and neck will always indicate to which species the female belongs. The bill of the female red-head meets the skull in quite an abrupt manner, while hat of the ring-neck has more of the sloping character of the canvasback.
Color—Male—Head and neck, black, showing a green luster in the sun; back, gray, finely lined with black; under parts, white; speculum, white.
Female—Head, dead brown, with a light gray patch at the base of the bill blending into the brown of the head; breast and back, dirty brown; under parts, white; speculum, white; bill, bluish.
Nest and Eggs—The nest is a crude affair near the water's edge, containing about ten pale olive-buff eggs.
Measurements—Total length, about 18 inches; wing, 81/2, and bill, 17/8inches. The females are but a trifle smaller.
THE LESSER SCAUP, OR LITTLE BLUE-BILL
(Aythya affinis)
The little blue-bill, or lesser scaup, like its larger relative, is a cosmopolitan species, and commonly met with in flocks of the other, which has led to the common error of classing the two together, the one as the elder and the other as the younger birds.
While in general color and markings they are very similar, there is so much difference in their size that they should be easily distinguished. With the males this is very easy for the head of the larger species has a green sheen, the head of the lesser has a purple sheen as shown in the sun. The bill of this species is more of a blue and much smaller, being not over 11/2inches in length.
Color—The color and markings are the same as the American scaup, with the exception that the metallic sheen of the head, as already mentioned, is purple.
Nest and Eggs—The same as the American scaup.
Measurements—Total length, about 161/2inches; wing, 71/2, and bill 11/2inches.
[Pg 80]
RING-NECK (Aythya collaris)
THE RING-NECK
(Aythya collaris)
In the breeding season the ring-neck male has a dirty orange ring around the neck which disappears wholly, or nearly so, before the beginning of the hunting season. The ring-neck is generally more plentiful on the fresh waters. I have seen great numbers of them at the mouth of the Colorado river. In fact, both the ring-neck and the lesser scaup range much farther south than do the larger species, for while few of the larger scaup are seen in Mexico, great quantities of the little blue-bills are found throughout the republic, especially on the salt marshes of the two coasts. All of these three species breed along the mountain lakes from California north.
Color—Male—Head and neck, black, with an indigo sheen when turned in the sun. This will always distinguish it from the larger blue-bill whose sheen is green and the lesser blue-bill whose sheen is purple. The speculum is gray; bill, bluish with a pale blue band across it about a half inch from the end.
Female—The female of this species resembles the female of the red-head very closely. It is considerable darker, however, and the bill joins the head without the marked indentation seen in the red-head.
Nest and Eggs—The nest and eggs are the same as the scaups.
Measurements—Total length, 171/2inches; wing, 8, and bill, 2 inches.
[Pg 82]