74 



THE OOLOGIST. 



The Bufflehead Duck. 



The "Butter Ball," as this species is 

 usually called, is one of the lovliest of 

 all the Duck tribe. Found, except as 

 a casual straggler, only in North 

 America, we may with pride call this 

 beautiful and sprightly bird all our 

 own. As a picture of loveliness, it 

 takes rank in the same class 

 with our Wood Duck. This spe- 

 cies ranges throughout North America 

 from the far Arctics into Cuba and 

 Mexico. It is a cold weather bird, 

 only coming to us when Winter weath- 

 er may be expected, and returning 

 North with the first rifts in the ice. 

 As a swimmer and diver this duck ex- 

 cells most of the duck family. It gen- 

 erally feeds in deep water, bringing up 

 Its food from considerable depths. 



Its flight is tremendous. Straight 

 on, with a velocity seldom equalled by 

 birds. Alighting, it plunges into, or 

 rather onto the water with a great 

 splash. It has but a single note — a 

 hoarse gutteral, subdued roll. 



Carrying a splendid crest and much 

 brilliant, iridescent coloring, set off 

 by large fields of immaculate white, 

 the male bird is a striking figure on 

 the water. The female, like the fe- 

 male of the Wood Duck, is garbed in 

 a subdued grayish brown; a very de- 

 mure little thing she is until alarmed, 

 when with the rapidity of electricity, 

 she is all motion. Sometimes diving 

 as quickly as a Grebe; at other times 

 hurling herself into the air as quick as 

 thought. 



The flesh of this bird is very good 

 for a deep water duck, but is not to 

 be compareii with that of a teal or 

 mallard. 



The Bufflehead nests in hollow trees 

 after the fashion of a Wood Duck. The 

 nest is placed at varying heights 

 where suitable cavities are found. The 

 eggs are laid on the rubbish at the 



bottom of the cavity, and ultimately 

 covered and surrounded with down, 

 pulled from the mother's breast. They 

 are six to ten in number and of a gray- 

 ish white color_ 



The little ducklings, short and dum- 

 py, are about the cutest little things 

 imaginable, with their stubby bills and 

 quick movements. The editor found 

 this specimen nesting sparingly along 

 the Goose River in North Dakota in 

 1893. Eggs of this species are not 

 common in collections. 



We present herewith a view of the 

 taking of a set of the eggs of this 

 duck in Alberta province, Canada, in 

 June, 1903, by the well-known Walter 

 Raine, and son. This picture gives a 

 good view of the typical Muskeg coun- 

 try of that region. 



Bald Eagle, 



I have been after Bald Eagle eggs 

 for a long while, but could not locate 

 them to any extent until this year. 



I got a fine set of three in 1906 after 

 four or five years of continual effort. 

 This year, after getting out my lines 

 early, I succeeded in landingl-1, 3-2. 



1-1 and 1-2 came from Maryland; 

 1-2 from Virginia and 1-2 from Dela- 

 ware. The dates run from February 

 21st to February 27th. 



The weather was fine this year for 

 hunting them, which accounts some- 

 what for my success. As a rule 

 though, they nest at a time of the 

 year when all the elements are work- 

 ing hard against you. It is generally 

 cold and windy, wet and muddy, and 

 unpleasant to be out doors. 



They are very hard to find without 

 some previous knowledge as to their 

 location, and expensive to secure, ow- 

 ing to the great distance their nests 

 are placed apart. The eggs are held 

 very close by those who have been for- 

 tunate enough to secure them, and 



