218 BUULETIN 126, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Dr. Alexander Wetmore (1920) gives the following account of it: 



A pair rested in open water in front of me when suddenly the female began to swim 

 back and forth with the head erect, frequently jerking the tip of her bill up while 

 the male drew hia head in on his breast and lowered his creat, giving his crown a 

 curious flattened appearance. The female turned alternately toward and away from 

 the male, sometimes biting gently at him, while occasionally he responded by nip- 

 ping at her with open mouth . At short inter\-als she dove toward him, barely sliding 

 under his breast, and emerged at once only a few feet away, or at times advanced 

 toward him brushing against him and then turning away. A second male that tried 

 to approach was driven away by quick rushes though the female paid no attention 

 to him. She continued her diving and finally at intervals the male began to dive 

 with her, both emerging at once. As the display continued he joined her under the 

 water more and more frequently and finally both remained below the surface for over 

 30 seconds where copulation apparently took place. When they emerged the female 

 Bwam away for a short distance with the male following her. Frequently during 

 these displays the female gave a peculiar rattling, purring call like hvnih-h-h-h-h while 

 the males whistled in a low tone. 



Nesting. — Although they arrive on their breeding grounds fairly 

 early, they are very deliberate about nesting preparations and are 

 among the later breeders. All through the extensive western prairies 

 these little ducks may be seen, throughout May and the first half of 

 June, swimming about in pairs in the little marshy creeks, sloughs, 

 and small ponds; they are apparently mated when they arrive and 

 seem to enjoy a protracted honeymoon. In the Devils Lake region 

 in North Dakota we found the lesser scaup duck nesting abundantly 

 in 1901 and examined a large number of nests. On the small islands 

 in Stump Lake, now set apart as a reservation, we found 16 nests of 

 this species in one day, June 15, and all of the eggs proved to be fresh 

 or nearly so. The nests were almost invariably concealed in the taller 

 prairie grass, but some nests were located under small rosebushes 

 and one was placed against the side of a small rock surroimded by 

 tall grass, but in a rather open situation. The nest consisted of a 

 hollow scooped in the ground, profusely lined with very dark down 

 mingled with a little dry grass and occasionally a white feather from 

 the breast of the bird. The females seemed to be very close sitters ; 

 we always flushed the bird within 10 feet of us or less; but when once 

 flushed they seemed to show no further interest in our proceedings. 

 The males apparently desert the females after incubation has begun 

 and flock by themselves in the sloughs or small ponds. Lesser scaup 

 ducks occasionally lay in other duck's nests; we found one of their 

 eggs in a gadwall's nest and one in a white-winged scoter's nest; but 

 we found no evidence that other ducks ever lay in the scaup's nests. 



In southwestern Saskatchewan the lesser scaup duck was not so 

 abundant as in North Dakota, but still quite common; we found 6 

 nests in situations similar to those described above; three of these 

 were on that wonderful island in Crane Lake, more fully described 



