A. Bent, Nesting Habits of Anatidce in N. Dakota. \\z!^. 



and luxuriantly. The nest was well hidden in the thick, green 

 grass, so that we never should have found it if we had not flushed 

 the bird within ten feet of us. It was merely a depression in the 

 ground, well lined with dry grasses, and sparingly lined with gray 

 down around the eggs; more down would probably have been 

 added as incubation advanced. The ten eggs which it contained 

 were perfectly fresh when collected on June 3. 



The second nest was found on June 7 while driving across the 

 prairie in Nelson County. We had stopped to explore an exten- 

 sive tract of low ' badger brush,' looking for the nest of a pair of 

 Short-eared Owls which were flying about, as if interested in the 

 locality. We were apparently a long distance from any water, and, 

 while returning to our wagon over a high, dry knoll, flushed the 

 duck from her nest, which was only partially concealed in the 

 short prairie grass. The slight hollow in the ground was lined 

 with dead grasses and a plentiful supply of down. It contained 

 eleven eggs which were too far advanced in incubation to save. I 

 photographed this nest, which is shown in Plate II, Fig. i. The 

 eggs of the Shoveller are quite similar in color to either the Mal- 

 lard's or the Pintail's, being very pale olive buff or very pale 

 greenish gray, and having smooth, thin shells with very little lustre ; 

 they are, however, decidedly smaller than those of either of the 

 above species ; in shape they are nearly elliptical ovate. The 

 eggs of these three species are very much alike in color and tex- 

 ture, but they can generally be distinguished by the shape and 

 size. 



The measurements of the first set described above are as fol- 

 lows : length 2.17 to 1.9s; breadth, 1.44 to 1.40; average, 2.03 

 by 1.42. 



Dafila acuta {Linn.). Pintail. 



Judging from our experience, I should call the Pintail the most 

 universally abundant duck in North Dakota, although the Blue- 

 winged Teal, the Shoveller, and, possibly, the Mallard, are close 

 rivals in this respect. 



All four of these species are evenly distributed throughout the 

 prairie regions, and are almost sure to be met with in nearly every 



