Q2 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
On the Magdalen Islands in June, 1897, I met with this species 
at East Cape, Grosse Isle, breeding, and secured its eggs. A 
few pairs breed on the small, boggy islands in the large ponds, 
not far from the sand-banks that separate these ponds from 
the sea. The eggs are about the size of those of the Merganser, 
but are more ofa buff colour, and their peculiar shape, which 
is almost invariable, best distinguishes them. They are not 
laid until late in June. A correspondent wrote me about two 
nests he found in July, after I left the islands, as follows :— 
“T found a Blue-bill’s nest in a strange place, after you left me. 
It was ina bunch of rushes at the head of the bay, growing in 
water that took me up to my middle to reach them. There were 
two nests, one with two and the other with five eggs. The two 
were fresh and the others badly incubated.” (Rev. C. /. Young.) 
A very common migrant. A few pairs breed at St. Clair Flats. 
(W. Saunders.) Both the Greater and Lesser Scaups breed at Crane 
Lake and in and near the adjoining marshes. On June 15th, 1394, 
the writer found a nest of this species, containing ten eggs, it was 
in a hole in the ground and lined with feathers and grass. Three 
days later another nest of eleven eggs was taken under the same 
conditions. Ina marsh on the 14th a large nest containing eleven 
eggs was found among rushes (Scerpus lacustris) ; nine of these 
belonged to the Scaup, and two larger and quite blue eggs were 
referred to the Canvas-back. Passing out of the rushes I flushed 
another Scaup out of the grass and found a nest made of dried 
grass and lined on the sides with down. This nest contained 
twelve eggs, and still another had twenty-one fresh eggs, 
evidently of three species—Lesser Scaup, Red-head and Ruddy 
Duck. 
MUSEUM SPECIMENS. 
One male, taken in Toronto marsh by Mr. S. Herring. 
One set of six eggs, taken on James Bay, near Whale River, 
June 16th, 1896, by Mr. W. Spreadborough. 
149. Lesser Scaup Duck. Blue-biil. 
Aythya affinis (Eyt.) STEJN. 1885. 
A pair was shot in June on Inosusulik, an islet about ten miles 
from Egedesminde ; it may breed in Greenland. (Arct. Man.) 
A male and a female taken in Greenland in 1872 and a female in 
