LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN WILD FOWL 27 



J. A. Miinro found a nest — 



in an old pileated woodpecker's hole near the top of a yellow pine stub, with- 

 out bark or branches and broken off 40 feet from the ground. It stood among 

 young Murray pines and poplars 20 yards from the shore of the lake. Down 

 adhering to the entrance of the hole identified the nest as belonging to the 

 bufflehead. The nest had been used the previous year by buffleheads and during 

 the following winter by flying squirrels. This was indicated by a quantity of old 

 bufflehead down, with fragments of eggshell adhering, lying at the bottom of 

 the tree. To this down the flying squirrels had added a quantity of moss. Ap- 

 parently the female bufflehead had removed the mixture of moss and down 

 before commencing to lay. 



Where trees are scarce, as in certain parts of Saskatchewan, the 

 bufflehead is said to lay its eggs in a hole in a bank, after the manner 

 of the belted kingfisher, using for this purpose the deserted burrow 

 of a gopher near some small lake. Such cases must be exceptional, 

 however. The down in the nest is small, light, and flimsy ; it is " pal- 

 lid purplish gray " in color, with small white centers. The breast 

 feathers in it are pure white. 



Eggs. — The bufflehead lays from 6 to 14 eggs, but 10 or 12 seems 

 to be the usual number. M. P. Skinner writes to me that he " en- 

 countered a female on Yellowstone River with 16 well-grown young, 

 and, as I could not find another parent, I have always assigned this 

 extraordinary brood to the one mother.'' 



The shape is bluntly ovate, elliptical ovate, or nearly oval. The 

 shell is smooth and slightly glossy. The color varies from " ivory 

 yellow " to " marguerite yellow '' or "pale olive buff." The measure- 

 ments of 86 eggs in various collections, average 48.5 by 34.7 milli- 

 meters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure 55 by 37, 53.5 by 

 38, and 40 by 26 millimeters. 



Phtmages. — As might be expected, the downy young bufflehead 

 closely resembles the young goldeneye in color pattern. The upper 

 parts, including the upper half of the head from below the lores and 

 eyes, the hind neck, the back and the rump, are deep rich " bone 

 brown," with a lighter gloss on the forehead and mantle; the inner 

 edge of the wing is pure white; there is a large white spot on each 

 side of the scapular region and on each side of the rump ; and an in- 

 distinct whitish spot on each flank. The under parts, including the 

 chin, throat, cheeks, breast, and belly are pure white, shading off 

 gradually into the darker color on the sides of the body and with an 

 indistinct brownish collar around the lower neck. 



In the Juvenal plumage the sexes are much alike and resemble the 

 adult female, except that the colors are duller and browner and the 

 white cheek patches smaller than in the adult. The young male soon 

 begins to differentiate from the young female, by increasing faster 

 in size and by the development of the head, with a more consx^icuous 



