LIFE HISTORIES OF NOETH AMEEICAN" WILD FOWL. 147 



Mr. Robert B. Rockwell (1911) found two nests of this species, in 

 the Barr Lake region of Colorado, in decidedly exposed situations, 

 which he describes as follows: 



The first nest, found May 11, 1907, was probably the most unusually located nest 

 of the pintail on record. It was just a trifle less than 18 feet from the rails of the 

 main line of the Burlington route, over which a dozen or more heavy trains thun- 

 dered every day, and well within the railroad right of way, where section hands and 

 pedestrians passed back and forth continually. The mother bird had found a cavity 

 in the ground, about 8 inches in diameter and 8 inches deep, and had lined it with 

 grass: and the two fresh eggs which it contained on this date were deposited without 

 any downy lining whatever. The female flushed as we passed along the track about 

 20 feet distant, thus attracting our attention. A week later (on the 18th) the nest 

 was fairly well lined with down and contained nine eggs, one egg having apparently 

 been deposited each day. On May 24 the nest contained 11 eggs and the parent was 

 much tamer than on the two preceding visits, allowing us to approach to within 15 

 feet of her, and alighting within 20 yards of us upon being flushed. 



Another peculiar nest was found May 30, 1908, containing 11 eggs which hatched 

 during the first week in June. This nest was a depression in a perfectly bare sandy 

 flat without a particle of concealment of any kind. The cavity was located in the 

 most exposed position within hundreds of yards, and was fairly well lined with weed 

 stems, grass, etc. and well rimmed with down. The brooding female was very con- 

 spicuous against the background of bare sand, and could be readily seen from a dis- 

 tance of 50 feet or more. This bird was rather wild and flushed while we were yet 

 some distance from the nest. 



Mr. Eugene S. Rolfe (1898) records, what I have never seen, a 

 pintail's nest in a wet situation, which is very unusual; he says: 



The nesting of the pintail differs little generally from other ducks that select 

 high dry spots among the prairie grass, badger brush, or old stubble; but a young 

 farmer this year piloted me to a clump of thick green bulrushes covering a space as 

 large as a dining table in the midst of a springy bog, and in the center of this, built 

 up 6 inches out of water (18 inches deep) on a foundation of coarse dried rushes, ex- 

 actly after the manner of the redhead, canvasback, or ruddy, and lined with down, 

 was a veritable nest of the pintail. The female was at home, and permitted approach 

 within 6 feet; and I stood some moments watching her curiously and regretting the 

 absence of my camera before I realized that tliia was the pintail in a very unusual 

 situation. 



The down in the pintail's nest most closely resembles that of the 

 shoveller, but it is larger and darker. It varies in color from "hair 

 brown" to "fuscous" or "clove brown" with whitish centers. The 

 breast feathers mixed with the down are either of the characteristic 

 banded pattern or are grayish brown with a broad white tip. 



Eggs. — Only one brood is raised in a season and the number of eggs 

 in the set averages less than with other surface feeding ducks. The 

 set varies from 6 to 12 eggs, but it is usually less than 10. It is un- 

 usual to find the eggs of other ducks in a pintail's nest, but as the 

 eggs closely resemble those of some other species, it may be a com- 

 moner occurrence than it is supposed to be. Mr. Edward Arnold 

 (1894) records the finding of a golden eye's eg^ in a pintail's nest in 



