'°l89o!"'] PKOCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 475 



(Coues). Duflferin : Arrived between April 15 ami 20 (Dawson). Winni- 

 peg: Summer resident; abundant (Hine). Ossowa: Ccmmou; breeding; 

 1885, first seen, two, on April G ; next seen, April 13 (Wagner). Swampy 

 Island : 1885, first seen, two, on April 16 ; next seen, April 20 ; became 

 common April 20 ; breeds here in fall ; last seen October 1 ; 1886, first 

 seen, two on April 16; next seen, April 17; (Plunkett). Oak Point: 

 1885, first seen, two, on April 7 ; next seen, April 8 ; became common 

 on April 11 ; breeds here (Small). Portage la Prairie: 1884, very com- 

 mon ; summer resident ; first seen, March 30 ; a few sometimes remain 

 till after the snow covers the ground (Nash). The most abundant duck 

 of the Northwest, breeding in nearly all the marshes north of the bound- 

 ary (Macoun). Carberry: Abundant in migration; a few breed; 

 Souris Plain; Turtle Mountain; LongEiver; Fingerboard; nearKapid 

 City; near Two Rivers ; Pine River; Portage la Prairie (Thompson). 

 Brandon : April 13, lft82 (Wood). Dalton : 1889, first seen, four, on 

 March 21 ; next seen on March 23; became common on March 26; 

 breeds here (Youmans). Shell River: Common summer resident; 

 breeds ; in 1885, first seen, twelve, on Apiil 6 ; afterwards seen 

 every day (Calcutt). Qu'Appelle : Common summer resident ; breeds 

 April 5 to 15 (Guernsey). Trout Lake Station and Severn House (Mur- 

 ray). Near Cumberland House are found in vast multitudes (Hearne, 

 1773). 



June 11 : While roaming in Spruce Bush, to-day, I came suddenly 

 across a wild duck (Mallard) with her newly hatched brood. She was 

 leading them to the water, which was a considerable distance away, 

 perhaps a quarter of a mile, and in this locality the forest was high 

 and dry. The old duck ran to meet me and then put in practice all the 

 usual stratagems to cover the retreat of her brood; meanwhile the little 

 ones scattered and ran, " peeping " in all directions, and soon all had 

 hidden themselves from view, except five, which I caught. The remain- 

 ing four or five I did not try to ger, but left them lor the mother to 

 gather together again. My little captives I took home with me, fondly 

 believing I could rear them. 



On October 30, 1886, saw three Mallard at Smith's Lake. I have often 

 lain in the long grass on the bank of some pond and watched the whole 

 family as they played about on the glassy surface, now splashing the 

 water over the backs, apparently to show how they mean to do it when 

 they are big rather than for any present benefit, and now rushing patter- 

 ing over the surface in pursuit of some passing fly and generally with 

 success crowning the effort, for when young they feed almost exclusively 

 on insect food. I touched one of the tall stems so that the top shook; 

 the watchful mother failed not to observe that there was something in 

 the rushes, and slowly led her brood in another direction ; or if I stood 

 up in full view, she gave to her startled brood the watchword of alarm, 

 which to judge from her actions may be translated '-scatter and run 

 for your lives into the rushes while I divert the brute's attention." 



