NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS EGGS. 



75 



144. Wood Duck. Aixsponsa. 



Range. Temperate North America breeding from Labrador and British 

 Columbia south to Florida. 



Bridal Duck is a name often given to 

 this, the most beautiful of all Ducks. 



They are beautifully marked, have a 

 large crest, and are iridescent with all 

 colors of the rainbow. They frequent 

 wooded country near ponds and lakes, 

 feeding on water insects and mollusks in 

 the coves. They build their nests in 

 hollow trees and stumps, often at quite a 

 distance from the water. When the 

 young are a few days old, they slide, 

 scramble, or flutter down the tree trunk 

 .to the ground below, and are led to the 

 water. The nest is made of twigs, weeds 

 and grass, and warmly lined with down. 

 The eggs are a buff color and number 

 eight to fifteen. Size 2. x 1.5. 



[Kich buff. 



[145.] Rufous-crested Duck. Netta rufina. 

 A European species; a single specimen taken on Long Island in 1872. 



146. Redhead. Aythya americana. 



Range. North America at large, 

 breeding from northern United 

 States northward, chiefly in the 

 interior. 



A bird commonly seen in the 

 markets where it is often sold as 

 the following species because of 

 their similarity. The nests are 

 placed on the ground in marshes or 

 sloughs, and are made of grasses, 

 lined with feathers. Eggs from 

 six to fourteen in number, of a 

 buffy white color. Size 2.40 x 1.70. 



[Buffy.J 



147. Canvas-back. Aythya vallisneria. 



Range. Whole of North America, breeding chiefly in the interior from the 

 United States to the Arctic Ocean. 



A noted table bird, especially in the south where it feeds on wild celery. Can 

 be distinguished from the Redhead by its darker head, lighter back, and grad- 

 ually sloping bill. They nest abundantly in Manitoba, their habits being the 

 same as the preceding. They lay from six to ten eggs of a darker shade than the 

 Redheads. Size 2.40 x 1.70. Data. Haunted Lake, N. Alberta, June 1 897. 

 Ten eggs. Nest of reeds in a heavy reed bed out in the lake. Collector, 

 Walter Raine. 



