74 BULLETIN 126, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Mr. George B. Beimers (1887) found three nests near Corpus Christi, 

 Texas; " the nests were built on the edge of the river's bank and 

 were so carefully concealed that if the birds had not flown up we 

 would never have noticed them." Mr. James J.Carroll (1900) says 

 that in Refugio County, Texas, it "breeds along the mainland near 

 the beach and on the islands in April." 



Eggs. — The eggs of the mottled duck are indistinguishable from 

 those of the Florida duck, except that they seem to average a little 

 smaller. The mctisurements of 75 eggs in various collections average 

 54.9 by 40.5 millimeters; the eggs shov,'ing the four extremes measure 

 60 by 40.2, 56.5 by 43, 51 by 41 and 54.5 by 38 milhmeters. 



Pluniages. — The downy young of the mottled duck is similar to 

 that of the black duck, but it is somewhat lighter colored and the 

 dark markings on the head are much more restricted and paler. The 

 upper parts are ''mummy brown" varying to "Dresden brown," 

 and to lighter on the forehead and flanks; the sides of the head, in- 

 cluding a broad superciliary stripe, are "Isabella color" or "honey 

 yellow" ])aling to "cream buff" or "cartridge buff" on the chin and 

 throat; a dusky stripe extends from the bill to the eye and from the 

 eye nearly, or quite, to the occiput; the under parts are "cream buff" 

 or "cartridge buff"; the color of the back is reheved by scapular and 

 rump spots of "cream buff" and the edge of the wing is the same 

 color. The colors become paler with age. The progress toward 

 maturity is apparently the same as in the black duck, the changes are 

 not conspicuous and not easily traced beyond the earlier stages. The 

 Juvenal body plumage is M^orn for only a short time during the first 

 fall; in this the broad edgings of the back and scapulars are "wood 

 brown" or " avcllaneous " and those of the lower parts are paler, 

 varying from " avellaneous " to " -vinaceous buff," the dusky markings 

 on the breast are more longitudinal, less rounded, than in adults. 

 The Juvenal wing, characterized by its duller colors and by its in- 

 complete speculum, is worn all through the first year until it is molted 

 at the first complete postnu])tial molt; the speculum in the young 

 male is not only much duller in its metallic purple, but the color is 

 much more restricted, occupying less area, and the black borders are 

 narrower and lacking in velvety luster. During the late autumn 

 and winter the progress toward maturity is rapid, until by spring the 

 body plumage is practically adult and only the wings remain to dis- 

 tinguish the young bird. After the first postnuptial molt, when the 

 bird is a little over a year old, the young bird is practically indis- 

 tinguishable from the adult. The broad edgings are much more 

 richly colored than in the young bird, varying from " tawny " on the 

 back to "hazel" on the scapulars and from "hazel" to "amber 

 brown" on the breast; the blackish markings on the under parts are 

 more rounded and blacker; the dark colors of the breast arc more 



