BALDPATE 



187 



rank particularly high as a table bird. Its curiosity causes it to return 

 again and again to the decoys, a trait which seems at variance with its 

 shy, wild disposition. Market hunters at one time reduced the numbers 

 of this bird to a point where extinction seemed inevitable, but since mar- 

 ket hunting and spring shooting have been abolished its increase has 

 been most marked. Like the Black Duck it has become, to a large extent, 

 a night feeder and spends 

 the hours of daylight in the 

 safety that is lent by distance 

 from shore. 



Mating probably does 

 not occur until after arrival 

 on the breeding grounds. 

 The mating flight of the 

 Baldpate resembles that of 

 the Gadwall but is performed 

 with more dash and speed. 

 The following account of the 

 courtship is from a descrip- 

 tion by Wetmore (1920): 

 "The birds fly swiftly and 

 erratically. The males dart 

 ahead of the female, setting 

 and decurving their wings 

 and throwing their heads up, 

 exhibiting their striking 

 markings to the best advant- 

 age. The female calls qua- 

 awk, qua-awk, and the males 

 whistle whew whew con- 

 stantly during this perform- 

 ance. Occasionally, as a pair swung in low over the water, the male 

 darted ahead and, with decurved wings and head thrown up, scaled 

 down to the surface. Two males and a single female invariably took 

 part in the display flight which began, as in the Gadwall, by the males 

 approaching the female, bowing and whistling, and then following her 

 as she rose in the air." 



The Baldpate always builds its nest on dry ground and often at a 

 considerable distance from any water; there is little attempt at con- 

 cealment, and the nest itself is merely a slight hollow, well lined with 

 grass, weed stems, and down from the breast. Both the nest and the eggs 

 are indistinguishable from those of the European Widgeon. The Bald- 

 pate is a late breeder and laying is seldom completed until after the 

 middle of June. The number of eggs varies from 6 to 12, but 9 to 11 

 is the usual set. They are creamy white in colour and the shell is clear, 

 smooth and somewhat glossy. The average size of the egg is 2.12 by 1.51 

 inches. The period of incubation is probably the same as that of the 



