332 Bent, A^esting- Habits of AnatidcB in N. Dakota. ^q^ 



timber on June i8, where they found the Mergansers common and 

 breeding. The birds were probably all hatched by this time, as 

 they found only broken egg shells in the hollow trees used for 

 nesting purposes. 



Anas boschas Linn. Mallard. 



Although the Mallard is a common duck in North Dakota, it is 

 not nearly as common as I expected to find it and is certainly out- 

 numbered by at least three species, the Blue-winged Teal, the 

 Pintail, and the Shoveller. It is quite generally and evenly 

 distributed, however, all over the prairie region and scattered 

 pairs were seen almost everywhere in suitable localities. It is an 

 early breeder, many of the broods being hatched out before June 

 I, though we found fresh eggs on May 31, and one set of 13 eggs, 

 apparently heavily incubated, on June 15. The female is very 

 courageous in the defense of her young. We had a striking illus- 

 tration of this fact on May 30, when we surprised one of these 

 birds with her brood of young in a little pondhole in the timber ; 

 although the young were well hidden in the surrounding grass and 

 bushes, the old bird was flapping about within a few feet of us, 

 splashing and cjuacking loudly, frequentl}^ rising and circling 

 about us, then dropping into the pond again, showing every 

 symptom of anxiety and interest in our movements and being 

 totall}- regardless of her own safety. But the young were too well 

 concealed for us, so we left the anxious mother in peace. 



The locality chosen by the Mallard for its nest is generally on 

 or near the edge of a slough or lake, either among dry dead flags 

 where the ground is dry or only slightly marshy, or upon the 

 higher land not far from the water and among thick dry reeds. 

 Two of the nests we found were on an island in a lake, placed on 

 the ground in the middle of a patch of tall dry reedlike grass 

 locally called 'queen of the prairie,' which grows higher than a 

 man's head. One of these nests, containing 10 fresh eggs on 

 May 31, is shown in the photograph (Plate IV, Fig. i). 



Our guide, a collector of considerable experience, informed us 

 that they also nested on the open prairies but we did not find any 

 nests in such locations. 



