366 Wright, Black Duck Nesting at Boston. LJuiy 



they made a brief visit, remaining a few minutes at the base of the 

 fountain where already was a very small area of open water. On 

 the 30th the pair was seen standing on the curbing upon the first 

 day of a considerable opening up. On the following day the ice 

 had almost entirely disappeared, and the Blacks were present, 

 enjoying the open water. On April 1, at the time of my morning 

 visit, the female, to my surprise, was seen on the spot of her nest 

 of the previous year on the island, well settled upon it and occasion- 

 ally drawing dead grasses and leaves with her bill about her. The 

 drake was swimming on the pond. The day following 1 found 

 the water was being drawn off for the annual spring cleaning, but 

 the ducks were present. April 3 and 4, the pond had been drained, 

 and the ducks were not present. But on April 5, again the duck 

 was seen on her nest at the time of my morning visit, while laborers 

 with hoes were scraping the bare bottom of the pond around the 

 island. And a little later the pair was seen swimming in the central 

 ditch, where some water remained. On the 6th, as the duck was 

 not present, 1 visited the nest and found it empty; but upon the 

 bottom of the pond at a spot nearby was the shell of a duck's egg, 

 indicating that she had laid her first egg, presumably, on the 

 previous day when 1 had seen her on her nest. Then during the 

 days following the pair absented themselves while the work of 

 cleaning was completed. The water was restored on the 11th, 

 and in another day the pond had filled. But the ducks did not 

 promptly return. On the 16th, however, again the duck was seen 

 on her nest in the morning, and it seemed likely that her nesting 

 was now begun in earnest, but it did not prove so. The visits of 

 the pah were intermittent and transitory both to the Garden pond 

 and the Frog Pond, and in late May they were no longer seen. 

 At this time the pair of Blacks was replaced by a pah consisting 

 of a Mallard Drake and a Black Duck, which were seen successive 

 days, with a presumption that this pah in the absence of the Blacks 

 had become their successors. Both pairs had been observed 

 present on one or two occasions, when the Black Drake drove 

 off the Mallard Drake, pursuing him from the Garden. But it 

 eventuated that the Blacks seemed not to have a settled purpose 

 to breed in the Garden this season, and so finally at the end of 

 May they relinquished the pond and island to this rival pair whose 



