140 



TWEN^TIETII CE:N'TURY CLASSICS 



Their nests are placed in tall weeds and rushes growing 

 in shallow, mnddy places, in ponds and sloughs ; built on 

 the tops of the broken-down old growth that forms a plat- 

 form just above the water; quite a deep, hollow nest, com- 

 posed of short, bitten-off stems of the weeds and rushes. 

 Eggs usually eight or nine — I have seen eleven in a nest, 

 1.92x1.32; cream white, in some cases pale olive drab, 

 thickly and evenly speckled with dark brown; in form, 

 oval to ovate. A set of six eggs, taken from a nest on a 

 marsh, near PToricon, Wisconsin, are, in dimensions: 

 1.90x1.29, 1.92x1.33, 1.92x1.32, 1.90x1.30, 1.92x1.29, 

 1.92x1.33. 



L.— CAXYAS-BACK. 



Aytliya vaUisneria (Wils.). 



Migratory; irregular; not uncommon. Arrive early 

 in March — my notes show the capture of one February 

 2 2d ; return in October. 



Habitat. [N'orth America in general; breeding far 

 northw^ard. 



This highly-esteemed Duck is exclusively a I^orth 

 American species ; they have been found breeding on the 

 inland waters from Oregon and Manitoba to Fort Yukon, 

 Alaska, and south in winter to Guatemala. The birds are 

 quite rare in the northeastern States, increasing in num- 

 bers westward to the Pacific coast; some seasons very 

 common. As they associate in large flocks upon their 

 feeding grounds, are generally thought to be more abun- 

 dant than they really are. 



This species, so highly prized as a game bird, is entitled 

 to more than a passing notice ; and I know that I cannot 



