270 BULLETIN 130, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



says that " the eggs are deposited in hollow trees and branches, often 

 at a considerable distance from water (2 miles), and from 8 to 30 feet 

 or more from the ground." 



Eggs. — Doctor Merrill (1878) says that " two broods 'are raised," 

 but Mr. Sennett (1879) was "of the opinion that but one brood is 

 reared in a season." By reference to the ^gg dates, given below, it 

 will be seen that the nesting season is very much prolonged, which 

 suggests the possibility that two broods might be raised. 



The black-bellied tree duck does not lay such large sets of eggs 

 as its relative, the fulvous tree duck ; from 12 to 16 eggs usually con- 

 stitute a full set, the smaller number being more often found. The 

 eggs are ovate or short ovate in shape, the shell is sometimes smooth 

 and not at all glossy, but in other specimens it is highly glossy and 

 very finely pitted ; the color is white or creamy white, with occasional 

 nest stains. The measurements of 99 eggs, in various collections, 

 average 52.3 by 38.3 millimeters ; the eggs showing the four extremes 

 measure 58.5 by 39.5, 54.2 by 42.5, 41.5 by 28.7 and 43.7 by 28.6 

 millimeters. 



Young. — According to Doctor Merrill (1878) "the parent carries 

 the young to water in her bill." And Mr. George N. L'awrence ( 1874) 

 quotes Col. A. J. Grayson as saying: " The young are lowered to the 

 ground one at a time in the mouth of the mother; after all are 

 safely landed she then cautiously leads her young brood to the nearest 

 water." 



Plumages. — Baird, Brewer, and Kidgway (1884) describe the 

 downy young as follows: 



Above, blackish brown, varied by lai-ge areas of sulptiury buff, as follows: 

 A supraloral streak extending over the eye; a wide stripe from the bill 

 under the eye and extending across the occiput, the blackish below it extend- 

 ing forward only about as far as directly beneath the eye, and confluent 

 posteriorly with the nuchal longitudinal stripe of the same color ; a pair of 

 sulphury buff patches on each side of the black, and another on each side of the 

 rump; posterior half of the wing whitish buff, the end of the wing blackish; 

 the black of the upper parts sends off two lateral projections on each side, the 

 jBrst on each side of the crop, the second over the flanks to the tibiae ; the buff 

 of the abdomen extending upward in front of this last stripe as far as the 

 middle portion of the buff spot on the side of the back. Lower parts wholly 

 whitish buff, paler and less yellowish along the middle. 



A bird in my collection, taken September 11, is apparently in 

 the Juvenal or first winter plumage. The bright rufus of the upper 

 parts is replaced by duller shades of pale browns; and the under 

 parts are uniform pale grayish buff, with no traces of the rufous 

 breast or black belly; the bill is dusky. I have seen a bird in similar 

 plumage, collected February 7, in M^hich the color pattern of the 

 under parts of the adult is faintly indicated. Apparently this 



