^°903^^] Fisher, Birds of Laysan Island. 397 



proceeded. The stomach of a male collected near the pond was 

 gorged with small flies, resembling the common house-fly. We 

 did not observe any Teal near the ocean and it is probable they 

 never voluntarily take to salt water. 



We discovered one nest within a couple of rods of the pond, 

 placed under a thick chenopodium bush. Six eggs of the palest 

 green — almost white — rested in a shallow bowl constructed of 

 long dry sedges. I wished if possible to secure a picture of the 

 female, so I photographed the eggs (PI. XVI, Fig. i) and left them 

 till the following morning. But when I returned to the nest, three 

 of the eggs had hatched, one young was half out, and another &^^ 

 picked. In taking the accompanying photograph (PI. XVI, Fig. 

 2), one of the ducklings had to be removed in order to show the 

 others. The type ^2,^ was preserved in alcohol. It measures 55 

 by 2)^ millimeters, and in contour is a blunt ovate. 



A few days later Prof. Snyder saw three old birds with broods, 

 one of which took to the pond. I also saw a baby swimming 

 about, the rest of the family being somewhere in the sedge tangle. 

 These young resemble those of Mallards. 



The Teal is the least common of the five species just considered, 

 and although I had no accurate method of estimating I would 

 place the total number of ducks considerably below one hundred. 

 It will be an ill day for all the birds on Laysan, if a cat, pig, or mon- 

 goose is ever allowed to land. Any or all of these creatures would 

 make short work of eggs and young birds, and could break up 

 what is probably the most interesting community of sea-fowl in 

 the world. 



