J3i 



TIIK OSPKEY. 



THE AMERICAN GOLDEN-EYE. 

 By Floyd T. Coon, Milton, Wis. 



DX'RING the spriuj.; of 1895, I had ati excel- 

 lent opporliuiity of otiserviug the nesting 

 habits of this Duck, being encamped in 

 the northern part of North Dakota, near the 

 famous collecting ground of Devil's Lake. The 

 locality in which our camp was situated was a 

 narrow neck of land between two lakes, about 

 twenty rods wide in the narrowest spot and 

 covered for the most part with a growth of oaks. 

 Among these were some ten or twelve old trees 

 which, being rotied away on the inside and 

 having their lops more or less broken, furnished 

 an excellent place for the nesting of the Ameri- 

 can Golden-eye. 



On the morning of May 14, having been awak- 

 ened earlier than usual by the incessant scream 

 ing of Franklin's Gulls ( Chyoicoccphalus froiik' 

 liiii), I arose and walked toward an old oak stub 

 which stood about ten rods from the cabin door. 

 Seating myself on a stump, I was observing a 

 flock of Snow Geese as tliey were leaving the 

 lake, probably (or their feeding ground out on 

 the prairie, when, hearing a whir of wings. I 

 saw a female Goldi-n-eye fly straight to the old 

 stub under which 1 w,is seated. For some un- 

 known reason the bird faili d to notice my 

 presence and alighted 011 a projecting limb, 

 which was about iliirty feet from the ground, 

 and had been broken off about ten feet from 

 the trunk, leaving a hollow of two feet, into 

 which the bird dis.ippenred. After waiting for 

 the bird to reappear, I was about to leave my 

 position, when I observed the male flying to- 

 ward the same tree into which the female had 

 disappeared. He alighted on the hollow stub, 

 and after a careful survey of the surrounding 

 country disappeared in the same hole with the 

 female. In a few moments he reappeared, and 

 flew off in the direction of the lake. 



I waited for several minutes, but as nothing 

 new happened, I decided to explore the inside 

 of the hollow limb and see what it contained. 

 Accordingly, having procured a pair of climbers 



and a rope, I reached the hole after much hard 

 climbing. Cautiously I leaned forward and 

 peeped into the cavity. My feelings can better 

 be imagined than described, as I beheld the 

 female sitting on her nest, about two feet from 

 the opening. It seemed strange that the bird 

 should have remained on her nest until I ap- 

 proached so near. However, as soon as she 

 became aware of my proximity, she made haste 

 to leave the nest, and flew off toward the lake. 

 The nest contained twelve eggs, and was lined 

 with down, underneath which were several Owl 

 feathers, which led me to believe that the same 

 hole had formally been occupied by an Owl. 

 After taking the dimensions of the nest, I de- 

 cided to leave the eg^s until later, and see if 

 the set would be enlarged. I did not get a 

 chance to visit the nest again until May 16. As 

 I approached the tree the female flew from the 

 hole, and as I was climbing up she circled sev- 

 eral times around me The nest contained 

 twelve eggs, as before, so I concluded to wait 

 110 longer, but to take advantage of a good 

 thing while I had a chance. Packing the eggs 

 carefully in cotton, and preserving the lining 

 of down as well as 1 could, I lowered them to 

 the ground. When I came to prepare the eggs 

 for the cabinet, alttiougli I lound them fresh, I 

 am quite sure that thev were a complete set, as 

 no eggs were added during the three days 

 which inter\ened from the time the nest was 

 di.-,covered until it was taken, IHiring the re- 

 mainder of my stay in the Northwest, although 

 I had several chancis to observe and study 

 their nesting hal>its, I regret to say that I was 

 able to take but one set of their eggs. 



I should be pleased to see more articles in 

 The Ospkey on the breeding habits of our 

 Ducks. For example, let some one who has 

 been fortunate enough to collect eggs of the 

 Hooded Merganser [ Lophodytcs cucullatits) 

 give ns the benefit of his observations in a 

 plainly written article. 



THE WHITE-WINGED SCOTER IN NORTH DAKOTA. 

 By Edwin S. Bryant. 



THIS Scoter arrives at Devil's Lake about 

 May 20, and according to my theory comes 

 from the north. It seems to confine itself 

 to one arm of the lake, when coming in near 

 shore. In the many days spent along the shore- 

 line from Miunewaukan to Jerusalem, I have 

 seen but a few scattering birds outside the im- 

 mediate vicinity of this arm of the lake, known 

 locally as Teller's Bay. Reports reach me that 

 Scoters have been seen at other places, but 

 these were invariably within a few miles of this 

 bay, and the birds undoubtedly belonged there. 



This bird has some habits unlike those of 

 other Ducks. The most prominent habit is the 

 morning flight. This does not occur so regularly 

 as at first I supposed. But ifaperson isso fortu- 

 nate as to be present when a great flight is in 

 progress, he will witness what I consider to be 

 a fascinating picture of bird life on the prairie. 



Imagine if you can a body of water some six 

 or seven miles long and two miles wide where 



it leaves the main lake, extending northward, 

 bounded on both sides by undulating prairie. 

 Take for a background the sleep hills on the 

 far side of the lake, or the heavy timber of Gra- 

 ham's Island— let the time be sunrise, with the 

 dew-drop jewel accompaniment that the poets 

 rave about. Fill the air with hundreds of Sco- 

 ters, circling and quartering after the manner 

 of Swallows, most of them fanning the weed 

 tops in their flight. Flying by pairs, side by 

 side, and in companies of pairs, they often cir- 

 cle about a person several times, within easy 

 gunshot range; and if one is so disposed, he may 

 shoot a pair with one discharge of the gun, so 

 closely do they keep together. As would be 

 supposed, the white wing-patch is very con- 

 spicuously displayed as the birds glide around. 

 In a half hour the performance is at an end. 



In two minutes time the scene changes as if 

 by magic. All the birds are making ofT shore 

 together. With a glass I follow them. Their 



