86 EGGS TO DUCKLINGS. 
a hard worker, but nearly always assists—the nest is 
soon completed, eggs are laid (varying in color from 
pure white to blue and green, a few spotted or freckled, 
assuming all colors intermediate), the eggs varying 
in number from eight to sixteen, according to the 
species; usually, one egg is laid each morning. Many 
exceptions are to be found, in fact, the older the bird 
the more eggs she lays. Moreover, the numbers differ 
in various localities, especially when climatic influ- 
ences are considered; as is the case with the wood- 
duck, hooded merganser and bluewinged teal in the 
South, in contrast with the nestings of the same ducks 
in Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota and Minne- 
sota, where the clutches are smaller. The same may 
be applied to many other species, viz., they lay larger 
clutches in the South than in the North. Some warm- 
weather birds have two clutches, whereas the extreme 
northern varieties do not unless the first is taken or 
destroyed by high water, prairie fires or the plow; for 
thousands of mallards’ nests are turned under on the 
wheat and barley stubbles of Minnesota and the Da- 
kotas every year. 
Nests are made of every available material, usually 
taken from 'the surrounding grasses, weeds, roots, 
fibers, etc., and some are beautifully lined with down; 
notably the eider duck and old squaw pluck the valu- 
able down from their breasts. It is said, if the nest is 
robbed once or twice and the duck is unable to supply 
enough for the next lining, the drake then furnishes it, 
which may be recognized by its being considerably 
whiter than the female’s. The quantity of down in the 
eider duck’s nest is estimated at about half a pound, 
