174 THE NESTS AND EGGS OF 



selected if one is to be had. The nest is merely a hollow 

 amongst the herbage, lined with an abundance of down 

 and a few feathers plucked from the body of the female. 

 The bird is a close sitter, and, when voluntarily leaving 

 her eggs, covers them for concealment. The male assists 

 the female in bringing up the brood, which is a very 

 exceptional circumstance. 



Range of egg colouration and measurement : 

 The eggs of the Long-tailed Duck are from seven to 

 twelve in number, eight or nine being the average 

 clutch.^ They are smooth in texture, have some polish, 

 and vary in colour from pale buffish-green to greenish- 

 buff. Average measurement, 2'i inches in length by 

 1*5 inch in breadth. Incubation is performed appar- 

 ently by the female, but the duration of the period is 

 unknown. 



Diagnostic characters : The eggs of the Long- 

 tailed Duck cannot always be distinguished from those 

 of the Pintail Duck, or even from those of the Mallard, 

 but the down from the nest is a tolerably safe guide to 

 their identification. The tufts are small, warm brown in 

 colour, without any white tips. 



1 Macfarlane writes : " Considerably over one hundred nests 

 were taken, and the eggs varied from five to seven, the latter being 

 the maximum number recorded in any one instance," so that the 

 clutches in the Nearctic region are probably smaller than those in 

 the Pala^arctic region. (Conf. Proc. U. S, Nat. Mus.,XlY., p. 421.) 



