AMONG THE WaTER Fow Lt 
tered by the reeds, she had built her nest of reed- 
stems and grass, lined profusely with down plucked 
from her breast, and laid nine fresh eggs of a yel- 
lowish olive hue—my first Dakota Duck’s eggs! 
I had already noticed a fine male Canvasback 
swimming among some clumps of reeds, well out 
in the water. I decided to wade there, letting the 
boy beat along the shore. The Canvasback had 
disappeared, but when I got out not far from where 
I had seen him, I heard a sudden splashing and 
beating of wings, and the same instant saw a large 
Duck, that I recognized as a female Canvasback, 
fluttering over 
the water ten or 
fiiteen ,) ia ays 
ahead).of amenme 
was soon there, 
and found in a 
little. clump) iot 
reeds 4 Sore jor 
semi - floating 
Tank, ‘of. baile 
‘* IT WAS SOON THERE, AND FOUND IN A LITTLE CLUMP | ) li d 
OF REEDS A SORT OF SEMI-FLOATING “ARK OF rus nes, ine 
BULRUSHES,’ LINED WITH . , . WHITI DOW N.’’ : 
H WHITISH DOV with an abund- 
NEST OF THE CANVASBACK ag | 
ance of whitish 
down, and ten large eggs of a sort of dark leaden 
color, a hue produced by no bird but a Canvas- 
back. This mother had begun her work earlier 
than her Pintail neighbor, for her eggs seemed 
considerably incubated. 
The weather cleared during the night, and the 
next day, with a bracing northwest wind, we drove 
thirty miles further to a fine large lake, and, pitch- 
176 
