Vol 'i9i9 XVI ] Wright, Black Duck Nesting at Boston. 357 



15, and happily, three days later the pair of Blacks appeared to 

 take the place of the Mallards and possess the now undisputed 

 waters, since the latter had evidently gone elsewhere for nesting. 

 No Mallards have since bred in the Garden. The order of arrival 

 in this instance seems to indicate that the Mallards were prepared 

 to breed much earlier than the Blacks, even four weeks, the differ- 

 ence in time between March 21 and April 18. Circumstances 

 unknown, however, may have contributed to this disparity, such 

 as the disturbance of the Blacks where their nesting may already 

 have begun. But the interesting fact remains that they found 

 the Garden pond with its island unpossessed and at once adopted 

 it for their family life. 



After the three successive days of the presence of the Blacks, 

 already noted, they were absent from the records of the following 

 two mornings. But on April 23 they were back, and the duck 

 several times again searched the island for a nesting site, the 

 drake remaining nearby on the water and occasionally bobbing 

 his head in affectionate greeting to her. When she rejoined him, 

 there was the natural expression of their mutual love. Again the 

 next two mornings the pair was absent, and the question arose 

 whether their choice of the Garden for nesting was after all a 

 certainty. But on the 20th, this doubt was removed by perceiving 

 that the duck had apparently made choice of location for her nest 

 on the west side of the island in a suitable little hollow into which 

 her body fitted well. She turned herself about in it several times. 

 The spot seemed rather exposed to view, having in reality no con- 

 cealment; but the rocks and earth composing it blended completely 

 in coloration with herself. So the thought was, if she will only 

 sit immovable when boats round the island close to its shores, she 

 will probably successfully cover the period of incubation. The 

 next day the duck was on her nest in the early morning, and the 

 drake was temporarily absent, obviously cognizant of the stage 

 the family life had reached. But the day following it became * 

 apparent that mother duck was not satisfied with the chosen spot, 

 that it had not borne the test of trial, and she had now selected 

 a place on the southerly side of the island two to three feet above 

 the edge of the water, snugly located behind the trunk of one of 

 the willows and shielded still more by neighboring rocks, yet 



