Wild-Fowl of Wild-Fowl 



saw some dark down projecting from the ground. 

 In a moment I had dug out six more Scoters' 

 eggs. There was almost no nest, the eggs being 

 laid simply in a hollow, lined with a little down, 

 and over them the bird had scratched the earth. 

 The eggs are thus left till the set is completed, 

 when incubation begins. Just as I got out again 

 into the open I 

 saw my compan- 

 ion, as he bent 

 over another 

 clump, nearly 

 knocked down 

 as a Scoter sud- 

 denly flew almost 

 into his face. 

 Here was an- 

 other typical nest 

 with ten fresh 

 eggs. Under 

 still another 

 clump was a hol- 

 low freshly scratched out, evidently by a Scoter, in 

 preparation for her first egg. It is now known that 

 the Scoter breeds very late, seldom finishing laying 

 before July, and often well along in that month. 



A hurried trip to island number one re- 

 vealed, besides sixty Cormorants' nests still with 

 eggs, a few more nests of Ducks. Then we made 

 for the fourth and last island. I paid but passing 

 heed to the Baldpates, Gadwalls and Scaups that 

 flew from their nests, or to a Pintail whose eight 

 eggs were on the point of hatching. I wanted to 



193 



A GREAT SCOTER SPRANG ALMOST INTO HIS FACE, 

 REVEALING A MAGNIFICENT SET OF FOURTEEN 

 LARGE EGGS." NEST OF WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, 

 UNTIL RECENTLY HARDLY KNOWN TO SCIENCE 



