166 RIVER AND POND DUCKS 



feet above the level of the water. Small shrubs growing around the edge 

 of the rotting wood, formed a canopy over the nest which completely 

 guarded it from view. Although other anglers and I had fished this 



pond frequently from the 1st of May, and had approached within 30 

 feet of the site, the nest had remained undiscovered, so well was it con- 

 cealed. On examination, the nest was found to contain four ducklings 

 out of the shell, three partly out, two eggs pipped, and one egg unpipped 



(afterwards found to be addled). It was raining steadily at the time, 

 but a friend, camped in the vicinity, was impressed into service with his 

 camera, and several snapshots were taken. As the light was failing rap- 

 idly and the rain increasing in intensity, it was decided to return in the 

 morning to take additional photographs. Accordingly at 8 a.m. the fol- 

 lowing day, the nest was re-visited and in it were nine fluffy, lively little 

 downies. The mothers was nowhere in sight and, as the light was still 

 poor, operations were deferred for an hour. A foolish mistake! When we 

 returned at 9 a.m. the nest was empty and, though the pond was small, 

 with no reeds or marsh at any point in which they might hide, the 

 mother and youngsters had vanished; the most diligent search of the 

 entire shoreline failed to disclose their hiding place. 



Bent (1923) says: "The Black Duck nests in a variety of situations 

 and does not seem to show any preference for any particular kind of 

 surroundings provided it can find sufficient concealment. This makes it 

 one of the hardest ducks' nests to find, for one never knows where or 

 how to look for it and can only happen upon it by chance; I have spent 

 many hours hunting for it in vain, around the edges of swamps or grassy 

 meadows, along the shores of ponds, in thickets of underbrush, or even 

 in the borders of the woods near such places .... The first nest I found 

 was in the Magdalen Islands .... It was in the center of a little islet 

 or 'nubble' in a small pond hole in the East Point marshes, a favorite 

 breeding place of this and other ducks. The nest was prettily located 

 and well concealed in a thick clump of tall dead grass; the hollow on 

 the ground was lined with dry grass and only a little down, as the eight 

 eggs that it contained were fresh; as with other ducks, more down would 

 be added as incubation advances." Very occasionally Black Ducks nest 

 off the ground; Beaupre (1906) found them nesting in trees on a small 

 island in the St. Lawrence River. He says: "a pair of these ducks had 

 taken possession of an old crow's nest, and on the date of discovery had 

 laid 10 eggs. The nest was saddled on the limb of a large elm 45 feet 

 from the ground." The second nest was "in a last year's nest of the 

 red-shouldered hawk in a basswood tree 50 feet up." The usual number 

 of eggs is 8 or 10, but the clutch may vary from 6 to 12. The eggs are 

 a pale greenish-buffy shade and are very much like those of the Mallard; 

 the average size is 2.34 by 1.70 inches. 



Unevenness in distribution results in the Black Duck feeding more 

 extensively than the Mallard in salt marshes and other areas characteris- 

 tic of the coast region. In such places animal food, such as molluscs and 

 crustaceans, is abundant and contributes more to the sustenance of ducks 



