BIRDS OF CUBA 39 



46. Erismatura jamaicensis (Gmelin). 

 Ruddy; Pato Espinoso. 



The Ruddy Duck breeds regularly in Lake Ariguanabo, and, so far as 

 I know, at this station only. It is, however, far from improbable that 

 there are other small colonies breeding in the lakes of the Cienaga, such 

 as the Laguna del Tesoro. The Ruddies and Masked Ducks act^ very 

 peculiarly in Cuba, and have adopted customs which are admirably 

 protective in this peculiar environment. They ordinarily swim about, 

 entirely submerged or with only the beak out of water. When they rest 

 on the surface it is almost always among the melanguetas, the great upstand- 

 ing lotus-like bonnet leaves, which afford effective shelter. They never — 

 or almost never — fly, and are very rarely seen resting or swimming^ in 

 open water, for there are little open areas in this great garden of floating 

 plants which mask the fact that this is really a lake, — large anddeep, — 

 in spite of the little water that is visible. The pot-hunting guajiros who 

 live about the lake have an uncanny skill in shooting the birds. They 

 push about in tiny pirogues with a long bamboo pole, as silently and as 

 fast as possible. They thus surprise the Ducks resting among the bonnets, 

 and the birds of course dive and swim away. The only visible sign is a 

 slight agitation of the bonnet leaves — almost imperceptible except to the 

 well-trained eye. The hunter shoots just ahead of this motion, and usually 

 gets the Duck. There are many turtles in Ariguanabo; they shake the 

 bonnet stalks just a bit more vigorously than do the Ducks — and I suppose 

 that turtles are occasionally shot at. 



47. Nomonyx dominicus (Linne). 

 Masked Duck; Pato Agostero. 



What I have said about the Ruddy Duck applies equally to the Masked 

 Duck. The name, Agostero, is derived from the reputed nesting in August 

 and its becoming apparently more abundant at that time. It is rather 

 less common in the big lake than the preceding species, but it occurs 

 throughout the Island. Scattered pairs or very small colonies may be 

 found in any pond large enough to support beds of saw-grass, bulrushes 



