T^6 Bent, A^cs/i//£- Habits of Atiatidce in N. Dakota. \s>^ 



Nest No. I, May 31, 1901, was in the centre of a thick clump 

 of golden-rod growing on the beach ; it was lined with dried 

 leaves and rubbish, with very little down around the eight fresh 

 eggs. This nest is shown in the photograph (Plate V, Fig. 2). 



Nest No. 2, May 31, 1901, was in the centre of a clump of 

 thistles near the upper edge of a stony beach ; it contained eight 

 fresh eggs which were laid on the bare stones, one of them plainl}- 

 visible in the centre of the nest, and surrounded by a little down. 

 x\lthough we Rushed the bird from the nest the set was incomplete, 

 for we found 10 eggs in this nest on June 15. The photograph 

 (Plate VI, Fig. i) illustrates this nest. 



Nest No. 3, May 31, 1901, 11 eggs, was on the higher part of 

 another island in rather tall prairie grass ; it was profusely lined 

 with down, mixed with bits of dry grass and weeds. The set 

 must have been complete even at this early date for some of the 

 eggs were heavily incubated. The accompanying photograph 

 (Plate VI, Fig. 2) gives a fair idea of this nest. 



On this same island we found another nest containing 10 eggs, 

 well concealed among the ■ queen of the prairie ' reeds. The 

 same day on the third island we found four more nests ; one set 

 of six eggs and one of eight eggs, were well concealed under the 

 wild rose bushes, one set of 10 eggs in the prairie grass, and a 

 set of 1 1 eggs under a little dead brush in the open, completely 

 covered with the down which served to conceal them admirably, 

 though in plain sight. The twelve nests found on this island on 

 June 15, were mostly under the rose bushes among the rocks and 

 contained from 9 to 1 1 eggs. One of these nests also contained 

 a White-winged Scoter's egg and one an egg of the Lesser Scaup 

 Duck, both of which species were nesting on the island. 



The following figures are taken from the measurements of 24 

 eggs in my collection: Length, 2.37 to 2.03; breadth, 1.60 to 

 1.47 ; average, 2.17 by 1.53 inches. 



{To be conti/iued.) 



