Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast Part 6

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 (=Dendrocygna autumnalis=) migrates to some little extent into Texas and to less extent into New Mexico and Arizona. The fulvous tree duck (=Dendrocygna 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 (=Dendrocygna 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, =Anatinae=, and the salt-water ducks the subfamily, =Fullgilinae=. 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.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 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 Was.h.i.+ngton. 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 fresh-water 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 alt.i.tudinal movements than of longitudinal. While it breeds on the mountain lakes of Mexico, it is rarely seen in the higher alt.i.tudes 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 l.u.s.ter; 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 gra.s.s, 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, 2-1/2 inches.

Female--Total length, from 18 to 20 inches; wing, 9 to 10 inches; bill, 2 to 2-1/4 inches.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 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 gra.s.s, and contains from ten to twelve eggs of a light buff color.

=Measurements=--Total length, about 19 inches; wing, 10, and bill, 1.60.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 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 gra.s.s 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 9-1/2, and bill, 1-1/2.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 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 pa.s.s 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, 7-1/4; bill, 1-1/4 inches.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CINNAMON TEAL (Anas cyanoptera)]

THE CINNAMON TEAL

(Anas cyanoptera)