114 BULLETIN 126, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



as a whole this type of uest was altogether inferior. We found a few built in wet 

 places where the foundation of the nest was actually wet, but we did not find a 

 single nest wlxere the eggs were the least bit damp; and the large majority were in 

 perfectly dry locations in close proximity to water. 



The concealment of the better built nests, especially those in the center of a 

 tussock of rank grass, was well-nigh perfect; in fact in most cases we were unable to 

 see either the brooding bird or the eggs from a distance of 5 to 6 feet even when we 

 knew the exact location of the nest. Upon leaving the nest during incubation the 

 parent covered the eggs with the downy rim of the nest and the concealment thus 

 afforded was remarkable. 



Several radical departures from the characteristic habits were encountered. One 

 bird had built her nest on a little flat amid some short blue grass which afforded her 

 no concealment whatever. As she brooded her eggs she was plainly visible at a dis- 

 tance of 20 yards or more. She allowed me to approach to within 4 or 5 feet and set 

 up my camera for an exposure; and then instead of springing lightly into the air as 

 usual, she ambled awkwardly off the nest, waddled slowly between the legs of my 

 tripod, uttering lazy little quacks of protest, and finally after walking a distance of 

 30 yards or more took flight. 



While plowing our way through a dense cat-tail swamp in water above our knees 

 we frightened a teal from a nest in a muskrat house. A careful search finally 

 revealed the eggs fully a foot back from the entrance of a deep cavity in the side of 

 the house. To our surprise the nest contained four eggs of the teal and five eggs of 

 some big duck, all of which were incubated. 



Another queer nest was found, which was a shallow depression on the side of a 

 dilapidated muskrat house, which had been originally built between a fence post 

 and its diagonal brace. The lower barbed wire of the fence prevented the top of the 

 house from collapsing, while the side weatliered away, leaving a cavity well pro- 

 tected by the overhanging top. In this cavity without a sign of lining or a bit of 

 concealment lay the 10 conspicuous white eggs. They could be readily seen from 

 a distance of 20 yards. 



The down in the blue-winged teal's nest is larger and lighter colored 

 than in that of the green-winged teal; it varies in color from ''hair 

 brown" to ''drab, "' and it has large whitish centers. 



Eggs. — The blue-winged teal lays from 6 to 15 eggs, but the num- 

 bers most commonly found in full sets are 10, 11, and 12. All ducks 

 are more or less careless about laying in each other's nests. This 

 seems to occur less frequently with the teals than \\-ith the larger 

 species, but the nest mentioned above by Mr. llockwell (1911), con- 

 taining "four eggs of the teal and five eggs of some big duck,'' shows 

 that the little teal is sometimes imposed upon. 



The eggs of the blue-winged teal vary in shape from ovate to 

 elliptical ovate; the shell is very smooth, but only slightly glossy. 

 In color they are dull white, light-cream (;olor, creamy white, or 

 pale olive white. They are not distinguishable from those of other 

 teals; but if the female is flushed from the nest, she can be distin- 

 guished from the green-winged teal by the blue wing-coverts, but not 

 so easily from the cinnamon teal. 



The measurements of 93 eggs in various collections average 46.6 

 by 33.4 millimeters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure 

 49.5 by 35, 47.2 by 36.2, 43,5 by 32, and 45.6 by 31.3 millimeters. 



