40 



THE OSPEEY. 



up on the sides, lined with 

 a profusion of down and 

 some feathers. The fe- 

 males do not usually pluck 

 the abdomen bare, but, 

 though some feathers are 

 removed, for the most 

 part weed out the down 

 around the base of the 

 feathers, leaving- the latter 

 intact. Doubtless some 

 feathers are removed un- 

 intentionally. 



The eggs of the Bald- 

 pate are white — sometimes 

 decidedly creamy, then 

 again clear white, almost 

 like porcelain. The Scaup's 

 eggs are always dark, 

 varying from dull olive- 

 brown to almost chocolate- 

 brown. Some are almost 

 the color of the eggs of 

 the commonAmerican Bit- 

 tern. The Baldpate's eggs 

 were all fresh, or nearly 

 so, some of the sets 

 being incomplete while mcst 

 of those of tlie Scaup were 



incubatdd. Indications were that, as a whole, the 

 Scaups averaged some ten days earlier than tlie 

 Baldpates in laying. 



The monotony of the Scaup and Baldpate 

 program was now varied by flushing a female 

 Shoveler of a curious set of ten eggs of her own 

 and four of a Scaup. All were fresh. Within a 

 few paces was the nest of a Scaup with six 

 fresh eggs. Perhaijs the Scaup forgot her door 

 number, or else was disinclined to a large fam- 

 ilj' — like some other individuals of the present 

 age. One of the sets of Baldpate found had 

 some very small eggs, and I was inclined to 

 think that the Shoveler, too, was not above the 

 practice of shirking maternal duties. 



Now my companion returned and conducted 

 me to a welcome sight. I'assing two clumps 

 of rose bushes on the summit of the island, in 

 the first he "unearthed" (literally) ten more 

 buried eggs of the White-winged Scoter, and 

 from the other clumij, as he touched it, a great 

 Scoter sprang up almost into his face, reveal- 

 ing a magnificent fresh set of fourteen 

 large eggs. After careful examination of 

 these fine trophies, we started "scotering." 

 \t the western end of the same island, on 

 high ground just up from the water, 

 was a great clump of trll rose bushes, nearly 

 as high as one's head; the other clumps had 

 been only a couple of feet in height. Near the 

 top of this clump was the nest of a common 

 Kingbird with three eggs. I crawled around in 

 the briars beneath, and was about to leave 

 when 1 thought I saw some dark down pro- 

 jecting from the bare groimd. In a moment I 

 had dug out six more Scoter's eggs. There was 

 almost no nest, the eggs being simply laid in a 

 hollow lined with a little down, and left buried 

 in the earth. I then got into the open again 

 just in time to see a female Scoter fly out from 

 almost under the feet of my companion from 

 another lower clump of rose bushes near by. 

 There we found a typical nest with ten fresh 

 eggs. I also found under a small clump of 



Oh" WHITE-WINGED SCOTER. 



brush a fresh hollow, evidently a nest of the 

 Scoter in preparation for the complement of 

 eggs. 



After some photography and egg-packing, 

 having found fully twenty sets of ducks' eggs 

 on this island, we proceeded to Island No. 1. 

 The Cormorants flew as before^ I expected to 

 find most of the nests to contain young, but 

 visitors had evidently robbed them, for most 

 of them had fresh eggs. In only two nests 

 were there young — three eggs and one chick, 

 two eggs and a chick. The colony, by actual 

 count, had exactly doubled in size since the 

 former visit. I counted precisely sixty sets of 

 eggs, instead of the thirty seen before. There was 

 one set of 8, two of 7, two or three of 6, a num- 

 ber of 5. but the majority were, as previously, 

 of 4, with a few scattering' sets of fewer, prob- 

 ably incomplete. Kour seemed to be the usual 

 number. The settlers dislike Cormorants, as 

 they are very destructice oi fish. 



The King-billed Gull colony had migrated to 

 the other island almost to a bird. Probably 

 they were robbed, and what young hatched, if 

 any, may have been conducted over to what 

 had become the main colony. While gazing at 

 the empty goose nest of pleasant memory a 

 flock of sixty White Pelicans flew over the 

 island and alighted in the lake further along. 

 The great birds were of very striking appear- 

 ance as they moved gracefully onward in ex- 

 tended phalanx, to battle against the finny 

 hosts of the lake, with their allies," the Cor- 

 morants. 



We alsofound on this island asetof four eggs 

 of the Spotted Sandpiper, the third of the day 

 thus far: also, two sets each of the now famil- 

 iar Baldpate and Scaup. 



After dinner on the mainland, my other 

 conijianion and I proceeded to Island No. 4. 

 My one idea was now to look for clumps of 

 bushes. I gave but passing notice to Baldpates 

 and Scaups as they flew out of clumjjs of weeds 

 from their nests. Of course I examined every 



