16 BULLETIN 130, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



(1877) I have examined a great many trees, and every one that had a suit- 

 able opening either contained an occupant or indicated recent nesting by egg- 

 shells and other marks. 



Maj. Allan Brooks (1903) found the Barrow goldeneye breeding 

 quite commonly in La Hache Valley, in the Cariboo district of 

 British Columbia. He says : 



One set of eggs was taken from a hole in a dead Douglas fir, 50 feet 

 from the ground, probably the deserted nest of a flying squirrel. The tree 

 stood about 400 yards from the nearest water. The eggs (7) at this date 

 (17th June) contained large embryos. I saw another nesting hole but was 

 unable to reach it. Tlie female brought 14 young ones out from this. 



Mr Munro (1918) says of the nesting habits of this species: 



By May 1 all breeding birds are mated and scattered over the country, 

 seldom more than one or two pairs on a lake. The Barrow goldeneye shows 

 a marked predilection for lakes that are strongly alkaline, even if they are 

 poor in aquatic vegetation and in the midst of an open country with the 

 nearest timber a half mile or more away. Such lakes are rich in small 

 crustaceans, the chief food of this duck, and no doubt the lakes are occupied 

 on account of the food provided, without reference to the availability of nest- 

 ing sites. 



An abandoned flicker's hole is usually selected for the nest, frequently in 

 a dead yellow pine, for in this tree decay is rapid, and the hole soon be- 

 comes much enlarged. One can generally tell if the hole is occupied, by the 

 fragments of down adhering to the rough bark at the entrance. The tree is 

 often so much decayed that a single tug at the bark near the hole will re- 

 move the whole adjacent surface, exposing the gray-green eggs w^here they 

 lie in the clinging soft down. It is rather hard to locate the nest when the 

 tree selected by the bird is in heavy timber a half mile or more from the 

 lake, but when the female is sitting it may be done by making an early morn- 

 ing trip to the lake, remaining under cover, and waiting for her to come to 

 the lake to feed. She generally arrives between 9 and 11 and immediately 

 joins the drake. After splashing and preening lier feathers, she feeds most 

 industriously for perhaps an hour and then flies directly back to the nest. I 

 include here data for three nests taken in the Okanogan region. 



Okanogan, British Columbia, May 12, 1916. A nest containing 11 fresh 

 eggs was found in the hayloft of a deserted log barn, on the shore of a lake. 

 The eggs were placed in a hollow scooped in the straw under a heavy beam 

 which rested on the piled-up straw. The loft was well lighted through the 

 spaces between the logs and by a large opening at one end. This situation is, 

 of course, most unusual, but it had apparently been used some years before 

 the nest was found. I had seen broods of young on this lake in previous 

 years, when I was not able to find the nest. The birds would generally alight 

 on top of a chimney in an unused house close by before flying into the barn. 



Farneys Lake, Okanogan, May 31, 1912. A nest with seven partly incu- 

 bated eggs was placed in a large cavity in a yellow-pine stump, standing 

 in 8 inches of water on the shore of the lake. The cavity containing the 

 eggs was 18 inches above the water, and the eggs were in plain view of a 

 person standing several feet away. 



Rollings Lake, May 26, 1917. A. nest containing seven fresh eggs was 

 found in an old fir stub standing in 18 inches of water near the shore of 

 the lake. The top of the stub had rotted out to a depth of 2 feet and the 



