110 MICHIGAN BIRD LIFE. 



bunches and fly with great rapidity. Having once found a good feeding 

 ground they are loatli to leave it and will return day after day in spite of 

 continued persecution. They are not easy birds to kill and the name 

 "Shot-pouch" in common use in some parts of the country probably 

 suggests the large number of shot which they can carry away. 



The only description of the nesting of this species in Michigan waters 

 which we have been able to find is that given by Langille in his account of 

 the bird Hfe of St. Clair Flats. It must be borne in mind that these Flats 

 lie partly in Michigan territory and partly in Ontario, and we have no means 

 of knowing the exact region in which the observations were made. Con- 

 ditions, however, are nearly identical on the two sides, so that it makes 

 little difference. His account is as follows: 



"Not infrequent in this locality is the nest of the Ruddy Duck, the 

 birds being quite common about the channels. The nests are generally 

 very slight, often scarcely more than a matting together of the tops of 

 the marsh grass over the water with a few additional grasses woven in; 

 sometimes, however, the nest is well made of fine grasses, especially if 

 incubation be advanced; sometimes it is but a slight placing of debris in 

 a decayed cavity of a floating log. the arrangement being so imperfect 

 that the eggs may roll out. These eggs are peculiar enough for a duck. 

 Larger than those of the larger ducks, nearly white and somewhat granu- 

 lated, they might easily pass for the eggs of some of the smaller wild geese; 

 especially as the duck can scarcely ever be caught on the nest, but stealthily 

 dives from it like a grebe, before the hunter can detect it. These eggs 

 may be found as late as July" (Rev. J. H. Langille, Bull. Buffalo Soc. Nat. 

 Sci., Vol. 5, 1877, p. 36). 



In Michigan the Ruddy Duck is almost universally distributed during 

 migration, but probably does not often nest within our limits. The late 

 W. H. Collins reported taking its eggs, presumably at St. Clair Flats, and 

 Mcllwraith says that he has seen it there in summer and has been told 

 that a few pairs breed there every season (Birds of Ontario, 1894, p. 94.). 

 E. W. Nelson found it breeding in Ilhnois (Birds of N. E. IlHnois, p. 143). 

 In North Dakota, according to A. C. Bent, it nests in "deep water sloughs," 

 always in reeds, over water and surrounded by water, much like the Redhead 

 and Canvas-back. He found the female the shyest of all the ducks, never 

 flushed from the nest or seen near it, and showing no anxiety for its welfare. 



It is a late breeder, all the nests found during the second week in June 

 being incomplete or with fresh eggs. The eggs, six to ten in number, are 

 extremely large for the bird, rounded, pure dull white, with a finely granula- 

 ted or roughened shell. They average 2.42 by 1.80 inches. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Adult male in full plumage: Entire upper parts of head and nape black; cheeks, chin 

 and under tail-coverts pure white; front and sides of neck, back, rump, upper tail-coverts, 

 scapulars, chest, sides and flanks, bright chestnut; remainder of under parts silver-white 

 to silver-gray; tail black; wings brownish gray without white bars or colored speculum; 

 bill in life light blue, feet and legs blackish; iris brown. Adult female without any chest- 

 nut; the black of the male replaced by brown, and the pure white of the cheeks and chin 

 by grayish-white or grayish-brown; the under tail-coverts pure white; tail brownish- 

 black; most of upper parts brownish-gray, the under parts grayish or brownish white, 

 often strongly tinged with rusty. Young of the year are similar to the adult female, 

 but often show various mixtures, and young males frequently have chestnut feathers 

 on head, neck and back. 



Length about 13.50 to IG inches; wing 5.75 to G; culmen about 1.50 to l.GO. 



