[172-] BIRDS OF OREGON 



large, fat, awkward, and helpless looking creature, covered with long coarse down, 

 which on the upper parts is mixed with long hair-like filaments, longest and 

 coarsest on the rump and thighs. The upper parts are 'drab' or 'hair brown," deep- 

 ening to Trout's brown' or 'mummy brown* on the crown and rump, with two 

 whitish rump patches, one above each thigh; the brown of the head extends below 

 the eyes to the lores and auriculars, a broad band of grayish white separating this 

 from a poorly defined malar stripe of 'drab'; the under parts are mostly grayish 

 white, shading into the darker colors on the sides and into an indistinct collar of 

 'drab' on the lower neck." (Bent) Si%e: "Length 13.50-16.00, wing 5.75-6.00, bill 

 1.50-1.60." (Bailey) Nest: A mass of reeds built well on, but above the water 

 level, usually concealed in thick masses of tules or other aquatic vegetation. Eggs: 

 Up to 19 or 10, usually 6 to 10, large for size of bird, dull white or creamy white. 

 DISTRIBUTION. General: Breeds from central British Columbia, Alberta, and north- 

 ern Manitoba south to Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, 

 and Lower California. Winters south to West Indies and Central America. In 

 Oregon: Permanent resident. Breeds in Klamath, Lake, and Harney Counties (perhaps 

 others). Winters on coast and wherever open water is found inland. 



THE SQUARELY BUILT, heavy-bodied little Ruddy Duck, with the absurd 

 habit of carrying its stubby tail cocked over its back in a wrenlike manner, 

 was first recorded from the State by Mearns (1879), fro m Fort Klamath, 

 and since then it has been recorded by most naturalists who have written 

 about Oregon birds. It was formerly a common summer resident and 

 breeder in the inland lake country of southern Oregon, where numerous 

 observers have reported it breeding (Furber, Fawcett, Lewis, Prill, 

 Gabrielson, and Jewett), but in common with other inland nesting species 

 it has decreased alarmingly since 1930. It is still fairly common in the 

 coastal waters, where it is frequently known as "Pintail," to the con- 

 fusion of the hunters who have applied that name to Dafila acuta away 

 from the coast. We find it common on the coast from September to 

 March (earliest date, September 16, Douglas County; latest, March 2., 

 Lincoln County). It frequents not only the salt-water bays but the 

 coastal lakes as well, being the most abundant species found on Devils 

 Lake. It is also found more or less regularly in the Willamette Valley 

 wherever suitable water occurs. We have numerous winter records for 

 Klamath County. 



Many times during the fall, usually in November, when they are 

 present on Devils Lake in little flocks of from 4 to 12., Gabrielson has 

 watched these ducks apparently playing a game. When the lake is like 

 a mirror, its surface broken only by the wakes of the waterfowl, one of 

 these little flocks will arrange itself in single file each tail perfectly 

 cocked forward over each back and each head thrown back and the 

 entire file will swim sedately on until suddenly the leader dives, to be 

 followed down by each succeeding individual as it reaches the spot. They 

 reappear in the same fashion, the leader breaking water and swimming 

 onward at the same speed as before, to be followed single file by the others 

 at regular intervals as they emerge from the water. The entire perfor- 



