284 BULI-ETIN 130, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



According to Rev. C. W. G. Eifrig (1905) the Canadian Neptune 

 Expedition to Hudson Bay found this swan common on Southampton 

 Island ; 



also in the flat laud north of Repulse Bay. They breed in lowlands with lakes, 

 where their nests, constructed of seaweed, grass, and moss, are very conspicu- 

 ous. They are very bulky affairs, about 3 feet in diameter at the base, taper- 

 ing to 18 inches at the top, and 18 inches high. A set of 2 eggs was taken on 

 Southampton, July 4, 1904. 



Mr, Bailey has contributed the following notes on a nest he found 

 in Alaska : 



While collecting near Mint River, which empties into Lopp Lagoon about 

 20 miles north of Cape Prince of Wales, I found a nest of this species with 

 three down.y young. It was early in the morning that we discovered it, on 

 July 12. Both adults were seen sitting close to the edge of a pond, and, as 

 we approached, they flew majestically away, only to circle and sail back 

 directly over our heads. The female was more stained than the male. There, 

 near the water's edge, from where the parent birds had taken flight, were 

 three beautiful little downy young, which had just left the nest, some 25 feet 

 away, and were doubtless ready to undertake their first swim. They were 

 as fluffy as balls of yarn, with dark brown eyes, and bills and feet of pink 

 flesh-color. They showed no fear, and cuddled contentedly when we held them 

 in our hands. 



The nest was a conspicuous, built-up mound of moss on a ridge overlooking 

 the little lagoon, and was unlined with down. From the size of the young, 

 it was evident that the swans made their nest on the first bit of bare tundra. 

 The swans are probably among the first birds to nest in the vicinity of Wales ; 

 the geese eggs were but half incubated at this time, while the loons' eggs were 

 fresh. 



The swans owe their present-day numbers to the fact that they nest over a 

 wide stretch of barren country, uninhabited even by natives. They are con- 

 tinually persecuted on their breeding grounds, and were it not for their habit 

 of nesting early, when the snow is deep and too soft for traveling, they would 

 have been exterminated long ago. 



Eggs. — The foregoing brief accounts are about all we have re- 

 garding the nesting habits of this well-known species. MacFarlane 

 collected about 20 sets of eggs, but said very little about the nests. 

 The usual number of eggs seems to be 4 or 5, though as few as 2 

 and as many as 7 have been reported. The eggs resemble goose eggs 

 except that they are much larger. In shape they are elliptical ovate 

 or elliptical oval, with a tendency toward fusiform in some speci- 

 mens. The shell is fairly smooth or finely granulated and not 

 glossy. The color is creamy white or dull white at first, becoming 

 much nest stained. The measurements of 94 eggs, in various collec- 

 tions, average 106.9 by G8.2 millimeters; the eggs showing the four 

 extremes measure 115,7 by 68,5, 115 by 73, and 90 by 58.7 millimeters. 



Yaung. — The period of incubation is said to be from 35 to 40 days. 

 Doctor Nelson (1887) says of the young: 



