Decoy Duck
date: label: Accession Date
content: 1859
label: Collection Date
content: Jun 1859
name: label: Collector
content: Charles S. McCarthy
label: Collector
content: James H. Simpson
label: Donor Name
content: James H. Simpson
notes: label: Notes
content: FROM CARD: "[Catalog numbers 7127 - 7129] FLOAT BASE CONSISTS OF BUNDLES OF TULE REEDS, BENT OVAL-SHAPE, AND TIED WITH TWISTED TULE REEDS AT FRONT, SIDES, AND REAR, WHERE REEDS ARE CUT OFF EVENLY. A DUCK SKIN FROM WHICH THE BREAST AND LEGS HAVE BEEN REMOVED IS GLUED OVER THE TOP OF THE TULE REED FLOAT (NO VISIBLE OTHER MEANS OF ATTACHMENT IS NOTED, OR MAY BE NOTED, SHORT OF DAMAGING THE SPECIMEN). TWO OF THE DECOYS HAVE EIGHT INCH LONG WOODEN, CRUTCH-TOP HANDLES WIRED TO THE UNDER SIDE OF THE REED FLOAT. APPARENTLY THESE HANDLES SERVED THE PAIUTE, SWIMMING UNDER WATER, TO MANIPULATE THE DECOY. TWO OF THE DECOYS HAVE DETACHED HEADS, EACH STUFFED WITH TULE REEDS, AND PROVIDED WITH A WOODEN SPIKE WHICH IS THRUST INTO THE REED FLOAT, FIRMLY SECURING THE HEAD IN ANY POSITION DESIRED. INVENTORIED 1975."
label: Notes
content: The identity of the collector(s)/donor(s) of the duck decoys # E7127 – E7129 is a bit unclear. The decoys were catalogued into the collections in December 1868, and the Anthropology catalogue ledger books identify them as from Robert Ridgaway/Ridgeway. This probably refers to Robert Ridgway (1850 – 1929) a Smithsonian ornithologist. In 1867, through Spencer Baird, Ridgway was appointed zoologist under Clarence King engaged in the Geological Survey of the Fortieth Parallel. Field work began at Sacramento, California and continued east, exploring parts of Nevada, Utah Territory, and Idaho Territory, including Pyramid Lake in Nevada. In the fall of 1868 they returned to Washington. While the ledger book lists Ridgway as the source (we can speculate that he facilitated the material coming to Ethnology), the catalogue cards list the decoys as from "Charles S. McCarthy for Capt. J. H. Simpson." J. H. Simpson would be James Hervey Simpson (1813 – 1883) , who was an officer in the U.S. Army and a member of the United States Topographical Engineers. In May 1859, he headed an expedition to survey a new route from Camp Floyd (south of Salt Lake City) across the Great Salt Lake Desert of Utah and through the Great Basin to Genoa, Nevada near California. Charles S. McCarthy was the collector of specimens of Natural History and taxidermist on this expedition. See United States and J. H Simpson. 1876. Report of Explorations Across the Great Basin of the Territory of Utah for a Direct Wagon-Route from Camp Floyd to Genoa in Carson Valley in 1859 by Captain J.H. Simpson. Washington: Govt. Print. Off. http://books.google.com/books?id=u3EfAQAAMAAJ . On p. 85 of this publication Simpson reports being at Carson Lake, Nevada in June of 1859. He says that Paiute people were living there, and using decoy ducks: "The decoy-ducks they use on the lake to attract the live ducks are perfect in form and fabric, and I have obtained a couple for the Smithsonian Institution." See also the Smithsonian Annual Report for the year 1859, where this expedition is discussed on p. 64 under "Additions to the Museum" and it is noted that material from it came to the Smithsonian, "Explorations with the army in Utah, under Captain Simpson", U.S.A." https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8903704 . Accession No. 275 in 1859 is recorded as from James Hervey Simpson and Charles S. McCarthy and consists of material collected on this expedition. The accession file is hard to decipher, and mainly lists zoological material, but does mention at least one "reed bird". Therefore these decoys have been listed under that accession number.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 25 Apr 2023
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Churchill County / Carson Lake, Nevada, United States, North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Paiute
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 000275
label: USNM Number
content: E7129-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Figure