162 BULLETIN 130, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



of the West Indies, and with at least five well-established records 

 in five widely scattered localities within the United States. 



Nesting. — A. H. Holland (1892) found it breeding at Estancia 

 Espartella, in Argentine Republic, where he speaks of it as — 



Rare, living singly or in pairs in the small lagoons, either open or contain- 

 ing rushes. It is next to impossible to flush this peculiar duck, as it takes 

 after the grebes and invnrinbly dives when disturbed, so that I have never 

 seen it on the wing. When swimming it holds its stiff tail spread out and 

 erected, inclined somewhat toward its head, and as it swims very low in the 

 water the duck is only visible by its head, tail, and the top of its back. It 

 builds amongst the rushes early in November, making a nest of green rushes 

 with scarcely any lining, being a very flat construction. The eggs are three 

 in number and white in color, very rough and very round. 



jS'(7^.<?.— There is an ^^^ of this species in the E. M. Barnes col- 

 lection, in Lacon, Illinois, which I have examined. It was taken 

 from the oviduct of a bird in Yucatan on November 17, 1904. It 

 is ovate in shape and broadly rounded at both ends; the shell is 

 rough and granulated; and the color is a dirty white. It looks 

 very much like a ruddy duck's ^^^. It measures 63 by 45.8 

 millimeters. 



Behavior. — According to Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway (1884) : 



Leotaud mentions this duck as being one of the birds of Trinidad, where it 

 is by no means rare. While to a certain extent it seems to be migratory 

 some are always present on that island. It is social in its habits and seems 

 more disposed than any other duck to keep to the water. Its flight is rapid, 

 but is not so well sustained as that of most of the other kinds. When it is 

 on the land it keeps in an upright position, its tail resting on the ground. 

 Its movements on dry land are embarrassed by its claws, which are placed so 

 far back as to disturb its equilibrium. Its flesh is excellent, and is held in 

 high esteem in that island. 



In a paper on the birds of Jamaica, W. E. D. Scott (1891) sayb: 



In the ponds about Priestmans River I met with this species on two occa- 

 sions, and from native hunters learned that it was not at all uncommon, 

 especially early in the fall. At Priestmans River, 9th February, 1891, I took 

 an adult male. No. 11000, of 'Nomonyx dominicus. The bird was in a small 

 and very shallow pond, and did not attempt to fly away upon being approaclied, 

 but tried to hide in some thin grass growing whei'e an old stump of a tree 

 projected from the water, and remained so motionless as almost to escape 

 notice, though not more than 20 feet away. It was killed with a light load of 

 dust shot. 



These little ducks do not seem at all rare on the island, and have mucli the 

 habits of the grebes, frequenting small fresh-water ponds and depending rather 

 on hiding in the grass or diving than on flight to escape pursuit. They are 

 said by the native gunners to breed at various points on the island. 



T. M. Savage English (1916) writes: 



NomoHi/x dominicus seems to be more or less abundant throughout the year, 

 on the secluded ponds of salt water which are frequent among the tall black 

 mangrove (Avicouiia) woods in the north of Grand Cayman; it most probably 



