THE GADWALL. 



769 



when the mother is (il)Hge(l to leave, a coverlet of down may he neatly and 

 quicklv drawn over the whole. This downy spread appears to serve a trehle 

 ptirpose: it both retains the natnral warmth of the eggs and excludes the rays 

 of the sun. which are o\-er-ardent at times, and it effectually screens the eggs 

 from observation. 



The bird's be- 

 havior when sur- 

 prised depends alto- 

 gether upon the 

 stage of incubation 

 reached. In gener- 

 al, the bird sits 

 close until disco\-- 

 ered : after that, if 

 the eggs are fresh. 

 the duck may tiee 

 upon sighting her 

 enemy a hundred 

 yards away ; but if 

 the eggs are near 

 hatching, she will 

 endeavor to lead 

 the investigator 

 astray by painfully 

 dragging herself 

 thru the grass. If 

 too much harassed. 

 howe\er. she will 

 desert her eggs out- 

 right rather than 

 wait for what she 

 regards as an in- 

 e\-itable doom : and 

 the same remark 

 will apply to al- 

 most any of the 

 nesting ducks. 



Gadwalls" eggs are of the cream_\' t_\'pe. and thus closel_\- reseml)le those 

 of the American W'igeon : but are easily distinguishable from those of 

 Shovellers, which have a greenish tinge. Complete sets vary 

 thirteen, but ele\"en is the normal full clutch. 



^^ 



Photo hv I In' Aiithur. 



.XliST .\ND EC.CS OF THE r,.\L)W.\l,l.. 



AN INCOMPLETE SET. 



from eight tt 



