94 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
built, as usual, in the centre of a tuft of rushes in shallow water, as 
this duck seldom nests in the grass like the pintail, shoveller, and 
teal. (Raine.) The nests are bulky platforms of reeds, similar to 
coots’ nests; found generally on small swampy ponds, away from the 
larger lakes, where the males associate in flocks. Eggs were taken 
from May 21st to June 6th, 1902. (Brooks.) 
Scaups, canvas-backs and redheads undoubtedly breed in the 
same marshes, and with them the ruddy duck. In the marshes at 
Crane lake, between June 12th and 20th, the writer found nests of 
all four species, with eggs of one or two other species in them. The 
bulky nest mentioned under the greater scaup was likely built by 
a canvas-back, but the larger number of the eggs were those of the 
the scaup. 
148. American Scaup Duck. Big Blackhead. 
Aythya maria (LINN.) Bore. 1822. 
A very rare straggler in Newfoundland; Dr. Grenfell brought a 
specimen from Nain, Labrador; migrant in Nova Scotia, and oc- 
casionally taken in New Brunswick. Seven taken by Boutelier on 
Sable island in 1901. Spreadborough observed a few breeding on 
James bay and in the interior of Labrador in 1896. Quite common 
in Quebec, and abundant in southwestern Ontario during the spring 
and fall migrations. A regular winter resident at Toronto. Not 
rare in the St. Lawrence valley in the spring and autumn. Preble 
saw a large flock near Fort Churchill, Hudson bay. 
Breeding on Lake Winnipegosis, but evidently the greater number 
go north, and doubtless breed around the large lakes north of Lake 
Winnipeg. It is a common duck in Alaska and along the whole 
Aleutian chain, and, according to Turner, remains the entire year. 
An abundant resident in British Columbia; breeds chiefly east 
of the Coast range; winters on the coast. (Fannin.) Tolerably 
common in the lower Fraser valley, and wintering on Lake Okanagan, 
B.C. (Brooks.) 
BREEDING NotTes.—Eggs taken at Buffalo lake, Alberta, June 
14th, 1896. Seems to breed in most localities. (Dippie.) Breeding 
in small lakes between Edmonton and Lake Ste. Anne, June, 1898. 
Nest always near water; it is a shallow hole in the ground, lined 
with grass and down. (Spreadborough.) A few breed at Lake 
Winnipeg. (Gunn.) 
