THE GADWALL. 767 



killed until the ist of March, which is nothing more nor less than "killing the 

 goose that laid the golden egg." The sportsman would be not one particle 

 more short-sighted if he were to go to the nesting grounds and kill the mother 

 ducks as they are hatching the eggs in the nests. 



West of the Cascades the nest is often built at a considerable distance 

 from water, a nest found near Spanaway Lake serving for an example. It 

 was situated one hundred and fifty yards from the lake under a pile nf brush 

 on a bushy hillside. The duck, when flushed, tumbled along the ground, 

 feigning a broken wing, but she soon flew quacking to the lake, where she was 

 very shortly joined by the drake. Other nests are built in the hea\ y fir timber, 

 being placed at the base of a giant tree in exactly the same manner as nests nf 

 the Soot)' Grouse. East of tlie Cascades they frequently nest t)n the reed- 

 covered islands in the lakes, often onlv a few feet from the water's edge. In 

 such locations the bird seldom feigns being wiiunded, taking wing instead as 

 soon as she leaves the nest. 



Mallards return to the same nesting locality }'ear after }ear and litcnme 

 greatlv attached to it, as the following incident will show. In clearing a piece 

 of heavily timbered land for cnlti\-ation, a female Mallard was flushed from 

 her nest of eleven lieavilx- incubated eggs, which, of coiu'se, were destroyed. 

 The clearing ended, perhaps a hundred yards further on, in a dense tangle of 

 brush and fern, and in this haven of refuge the mother duck estaljlished her- 

 self, and was found some three weeks later with a second nestful of eggs. 

 This was a duplicate of her first, and in four weeks time she was successful in 

 bringing out eleven fine young ducklings. 



J. H. Rowr.ES. 



No. 308. 



GADWALL. 



A. O. I'. Xo. 133. Chaulelasmiis streperus 1 Linn.). 



Synonym. — Gray Dixk. 



Description. — Adult male: Head and ujjper neck bufl'y, spotted or streaked 

 with duskv : top of head darker brownish ; breast and lower neck all around dusky 

 and white, each feather with five to eight concentric half-rings of alternating col- 

 ors, presenting a handsomely scaled appearance ; sides, back and scapulars similar- 

 ly varied with dusky and white. l)uiTy, or ochraceous-white, in semi-concentric, 

 zigzag, or fine, wavy lines ; the posterior inner scapulars, not thus marked, dull 

 cinnamon-brown, darker centrally and edged with lighter, lanceolate ; lower back 

 dusky, becoming velvety black on upper tail-coverts and around on sides of cris- 

 sum ; middle wing-coverts bright chestnut ; the lesser dull brownish gray, the 

 greater velvetv black ; speculum white, rather narrowly, the outer secondaries 

 black and duskv, the bounding tertials plain fuscous; belly white or grayish, ob- 

 scurely barred posteriorlv ; axillars and lining of wings white ; bill blue-black ; 

 legs and feet dull orange, the webs dusky. Adult male in breedliif/ season: 



