Vol. XIX 

 1902 



I Bent, Nesting Habits of Anat id ir in N. Dakota. 



lake, pond or slough of any size. We certainly saw Pintails every- 

 where in both Nelson and Steele Counties, and often found the 

 males congregated in flocks, together with Mallards and Shovellers, 

 in the open sloughs or small ponds, from which they would rise at 

 long range, as we approached, and fly off high up in the air. 



The Pintail is an early breeder, beginning to lay early in May ; 

 and probably the majority of the broods are hatched by the first 

 week in June. We came across several females with broods of 

 young, and saw some remarkable examples of parental devotion 

 and solicitude, which are very strongly developed in this species. 



On June 3 we visited a small slough, in Nelson County, with 

 open water in the centre, from which we started quite a flock of 

 Mallards and Pintails as we approached, and, as we waded out 

 into the marsh, a female Pintail flew towards us, dropped into the 

 water near us, and began splashing 'about in a state of great ex- 

 citement. The young ducks were probably well hidden among 

 the reeds, though we could not see or hear them. During all the 

 time, for an hour or morp, that we were wading around the little 

 slough that Pintail watched us and followed us closely, flying about 

 our heads and back and forth over the slough, frequently splashing 

 down into the water near us in the most reckless manner, swim- 

 ming about in small circles or splashing along the surface of the 

 water, as if wounded, and often near enough for us to have hit 

 her with a stick, quacking excitedly all the time. I never saw a 

 finer exhibition of parental devotion than was shown by her total 

 disregard of her own safety, which did not cease until we left the 

 locality entirely. We had a somewhat similar experience near 

 a small slough in Steele County, which resulted in our finding one 

 of the young ducks hidden in the long, thick prairie grass. 



The nests of the Pintail are placed almost any where on dry 

 ground, sometimes near the edge of a slough or pond, sometimes 

 on the islands in the lakes, but more often in the prairies, and 

 sometimes a half a mile or more from the nearest water. The 

 young are probably led to the nearest body of water as soon as 

 they are hatched. 



The nest is generally poorly concealed, and often in plain 

 sight. A deep hollow is scooped out in the ground, which is 

 sparingly lined with bits of straw and stubble, and a scanty lining 



