42 NOTES ON THE 



streams of running water, and are composed of weeds, sticks, 

 grasses, and rushes as the location conveniently supplies them. 

 The eggs, eight to ten in number, are rather of a cream- white, 

 at least would be but for the dirt imparted by the soiled feet of 

 the brooding female. 



As is the case with nearly every species of the family breed- 

 in the State, the distribution is subject to extreme variations 

 irom year to year. In a local scarcity of Ring-necks and 

 Scaups, for instance, this species will abound during one sea- 

 son which may be follow^ed in the next by its almost total ab- 

 sence, while one of those mentioned, or almost any other, may 

 be in force in any single section. This circumstance applies 

 equally with the Mallard. 



The relative abundance of species may be best studied in the 

 Teturn of expert duck-hunter's bags. 



In the hunting season there are few portions of our State 

 where some of this species are not found. It has not yet been 

 my fortune to see the nest and eggs in situ, but I have the 

 latter in my collection obtained within a few hours ride of my 

 home by Mr. E. L. Hood, an expert oologist in my employ- 

 ment. 



Incredible numbers of this species are slaughtered for the fall 

 market and are regarded only second to the Mallard in value 

 for the table. It is a gamy duck and flies promptly at the ap- 

 proach of danger; is an exceptionally good diver and rapid 

 swimmer. It wanders a long distance from the water for nuts, 

 acorns, etc., in the cloudy, windy days of November. They re- 

 tire from this latitude generally during the last week in 

 October. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 



Head and neck brownish-white, each feather spotted with 

 ■dusky; top of head tinged with reddish; lower part of neck, 

 with forepart of breast, and back, blackish, with concentric 

 narrow bars of white, giving a scaled appearance to the 

 feathers; inter- scapular region, outermost scapulars, and 

 sides of body, finely weaved transversely with black and 

 white; middle wing coverts chestnut, the greater, velvet- 

 black, succeeded by a pure white speculum, bordered exter- 

 nally by hoary gray; innermost scapulars with a reddish 

 tinge; crissum and upper tail coverts black; longest tertials 

 hoary plumbeous gray; inside of wing and axillaries pure 

 "white; bill black; iris hazel. 



Length, 22; wing, 10.50; tarsus, 1.65; commissure, 2.04. 



Habitat, United States. Nearly cosmopolitan. 



