70 Bin.LETIN 126, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Mr. C. J. Maynard (1896) "found tiiem breeding on Indian River, 

 tlio nests being placed on the drier portions of the marshes, in grass 

 which was about 18 inches high." 



Eggn. — The Florida duck lays about 8 or 10 eggs which are similar 

 to those of the black duck, but slightly smaller or shorter and rounder. 

 In shape they are elliptical oval to oval. The shell is smooth and in 

 some specimens slightly glossy. The color is creamy white or greenish 

 white. The measurements of 52 eggs in various collections average 

 57 by 44.3 millimeters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure 

 62 by 46, 49.8 by 49, and 55 by 40.5 millimeters. 



Young.— Ihe period of incubation is probably the same as with 

 the black duck, 26 to 28 days. It is performed wholly by the female, 

 although the male does not entirely desert her. Mr. C. J. Maynard 

 (1896) writes of the behavior of the mother and young: 



Tlie eggs were deposited during the first and second weeks of April; then about the 

 1st of May, I would frequently see flocks of little downy ducklings following tlie 

 female, but unless I took care to conceal myself, I did not enjoy watching these little 

 families long, for as soon as the parent became aware of my presence, she would emit 

 a chuckling note, when away they would scamper, helter-skelter, into tlie nearest 

 grass, where it was impossible, upon the most careful search, to discover a single 

 young. I once surprised a brood, when they were some distance from any place of 

 shelter, for they had ventured out upon the mud of a creek, at low tide, and I chanced 

 to come out of the high grass, just in front of them. The old duck appeared to com- 

 prehend the situation at once, for she came directly toward me, driving her brood 

 before her, lioping to engage my attention by a display of bravery, while the young 

 escaped into the sheltering vegetation behind me; but placing my gun on the ground, 

 I stooped down and grasped two of the little fellows, as they were running past. 

 The diminutive ducklings uttered shrill cries when they were captured, which drove 

 their parent nearlj'' frantic, for regardless of possible consequences, slie dashed about 

 in front of me, with ruffled feathers and half-closed wings, often coming within a 

 foot of me, at the same time, quacking loudly. This outcry attracted the attention 

 of the drake, but he did not approach very near, merely circling about, some 50 yards 

 distant, quacking softly. Leaving the old female to care for the remainder of the 

 brood, I carried my captives into camp and placed them in a box, the sides of which 

 were about a foot and a half higli, but young as the}' were, tliey managed to escape. 



Plumages. — As I have seen but few downy young of the Florida 

 duck, as the series of immature birds available for study is very 

 scanty and as the two subspecies are so much alike in these respects, 

 I prefer to refer the reader to what I have written about the plum- 

 ages of the mottled duck, which will probably fit this subspecies 

 equally well. 



Food. — According to Mr. W. L. McAtee (1918) the southern black 

 ducks eat a larger proportion of animal food than their northern 

 relatives. Based on the examination of 48 stomachs by the Biological 

 Survey he found that 40.5 per cent of their food consisted of animal 

 matter. Mollusks compose five-eighths of the animal food^and snails 

 as large as 1 inch in diameter are eaten. Insect ^food consists of 



