Wild- Fowl of Wild- Fowl 



tain that the difference ahvays holds. The female 

 Pintail at a distance looks very much like both 

 of the above, though she has a longer, more slen- 

 der neck. But her eggs are distinct, having an 

 olivaceous caste. The eggs of the three Scaups, 

 Greater, Lesser, and Ring-necked, — are alike in 

 color, a decided brown, and different from eggs 

 of any other Ducks, but are easily confused one 

 with the other, as are the birds themselves. The 

 eggs of the Blue- and Green-winged Teal are indis- 

 tinguishable, but one can identify the birds at 

 close range. The female Mallard can be told by 

 its large size, spotted plumage, and blue speculum. 

 Females of Redhead and Canvas-back are some- 

 what alike, but the latter is larger and lighter in 

 color, and the eggs of each I consider distinctive. 

 The Shoveler and her eggs can usually be distin- 

 guished, — though there is some resemblance to the 

 Pintail, — as the size is considerably less. As to 

 Ruddy Duck and White-winged Scoter there can 

 be no mistake. The eggs of the former are aston- 

 ishingly large for the size of the bird, have a 

 rough, pitted shell, entirely unique, and are pure 

 white. Scoters' eggs are larger than those of any 

 Duck nesting in the United States, save the Eider, 

 which is not found breeding in the interior. 



Leaving this island, at length, with its many 

 nests of Terns and Ducks, we crossed to island 

 number two, only a short distance away. Large 

 numbers of young Ring-bills were scurrying about 

 among the rocks or swimming out into the lake. 

 It was the same as on the other islands with the 

 Ducks. We scoured through its many areas and 



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