38 BULLETIN 130, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



she has many enemies, wandering natives, roving dogs and foxes, 

 jaegers, gulls, and other nest robbers that are always on the look- 

 out for eggs. Mr. Hersey found a nest near St. Michael on July 

 5, 1915, containing six eggs; it was in an open situation in short 

 grass 20 feet from the shore of a small pond, and while going for 

 his camera, only a short distance away, some short-billed and 

 glaucous gulls found the nest and destroyed the eggs. 

 Mr. Ekblaw, in his notes, says: 



The nests are built in small-cup-like hollows, sometimes in the grass near 

 the pools, but more frequently among the rocks at considerable distances 

 from any water. The sites are selected with a view to concealment. The 

 nest is well lined with mottled brown down from the female's breast. When 

 the eggs are covered with the down in the absence of the bird, or when 

 she is brooding them, the nest is well-nigh impossible of detection. The 

 female is not readily frightened from her nest ; when she is driven off she 

 simulates injury and distress to draw away the intruder, in the manner com- 

 mon to so many birds. The foxes take toll of the oldsquaw eggs as of the 

 eggs of all the birds. 



The down in the oldsquaw's nest is very small: it varies in color 

 from " bister " to " sepia," and has small but conspicuous whitish 

 centers. 



Eggs. — The oldsquaw is said to lay as many as IT eggs, but the 

 set usually consists of from 5 to 7. Only one brood is raised in a 

 season. In shape the eggs are ovate, elliptical ovate, elongate ovate, 

 or even cylindrical ovate; they are often more pointed than ducks' 

 eggs usually are. The surface is smooth, but not very glossy. The 

 color varies from " deep olive buff " to " olive buff " or from " water 

 green " to " yellowish glaucous." The measurements of 139 eggs, in 

 the United States National Museum collection, average 53 by 37 

 millimeters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure 60 by 39, 

 58 by 40, 48 by 37.5, and 51.5 by 35.5 millimeters. 



Young. — The period of incubation is said to be about three and 

 a half weeks. It is performed by the female alone, but the male 

 does not wholly desert her, remaining in the nearest pond and 

 encouraging her with demonstrations of affection. About the time 

 that the young are ready to hatch he flies away and joins others of 

 his kind on the seacoast. As soon as the eggs are hatched and the 

 j^oung are strong enough to walk, the mother leads them over the 

 perilous journey to the nearest water. Mr. Turner watched a mother 

 bird conducting her brood of 13 young for more than half a mile from 

 a swampy tract through a long and deep but narrow gulch, through 

 which a small stream flowed, down to a cove into which it opened. 

 His notes state : 



The old bird was much disturbed when I came upon her and she pretended 

 to be wounded. She fluttered and waddled about in a frantic manner, but 

 while chasing her I saw the young and could then have easily taken the old 



