360 Wright, Black Duck Nesting at Boston. [jjjy 



had grown into mature birds within the Garden. And the whole 

 combined families were present on the pond many days in the 

 autumn up to its freezing over for the winter in late November, 

 on other days dividing up and some of them on other near waters. 



When the season of 1910 opened, the first day that the pond 

 was free from ice, namely, April 2, the pair of Black Ducks made 

 their reappearance, having been thus watchful of conditions. It 

 could not be doubted for a moment that it was the same pair 

 which had adopted the Garden pond the preceding year, so wonted 

 to the place did they seem and withal so glad to be back again 

 at the earliest opportunity. They were of the same tristis type. 

 The records show that they were present continuously from that 

 date. On April 6 courting was observed, the duck looked the 

 island over, and, before leaving it, once again as in the previous 

 year perched upon one of the slanting willow trunks and flew off 

 thence to the water. Three days later, the 9th, she was on her 

 nest and probably deposited her first egg, as two days afterward, 

 when she was absent from the Garden, the nest was visited and 

 found to contain three eggs. The water had been drawn from the 

 pond and none remained around the island. But even these con- 

 ditions did not deter her from holding to her chosen location. 

 This was now on the northerly side of the island about four feet 

 from the water's edge. On the 14th, again in her absence, the 

 nest was visited and found to contain six eggs well covered over 

 with dead grasses, the number indicating that one had been laid 

 each day. On the 19th the water was returned to the pond. 

 Thirty-one days later, on May 20 at 7.10 a. m., she came down to 

 the water followed by five ducklings only. Thus many of her 

 eggs had failed to hatch. The period covered between the laying 

 of her first egg on April 9 and the hatching on May 19 was forty- 

 one days. As sitting woidd occupy but twenty-eight days, the 

 period allowed for the laying of thirteen or fourteen eggs. Whether 

 such was the case it cannot be stated. If she did not lay as many, 

 there must have been an interruption to the usual order of the 

 nesting due to some cause unknown. 



When the ducklings dropped into the water, they at once swam 

 actively about in then- newly awakened happiness. A half-hour 

 later the mother had taken them back to their nest for brooding. 



