LESSER SCAUP 257 



themselves of their safety, then down they go with surprising agility. 

 On emerging, they shake their heads, open and flap their wings a few 

 times then dive quickly again in search for food. They decoy readily and 

 provide good sport for the gunner. The flesh does not rank with that of 

 others of the Nyroca group (Canvas-back, Redhead, and Ring-neck) but 

 is quite acceptable and they are generally considered good table birds. 



Of the courtship of this species, Audubon (1840) says: "At the ap- 

 proach of spring the drakes pay their addresses to the females, before 

 they set out on their journey. At that period the males become more ac- 

 tive and lively, bowing their heads, opening their broad bills, and utter- 

 ing a kind of quack, which to the listener seems produced by wind in 

 their stomach, but notwithstanding appears to delight their chosen fe- 

 males." Wetmore (1920) describes the courtship display as follows: 

 "A pair rested in the open water in front of me when suddenly the fe- 

 male began to swim back and forth with the head erect, frequently jerk- 

 ing the tip of her bill up while the male drew his head in on his breast 

 and lowered his crest, giving his crown a curious flattened appearance. 

 The female turned alternately toward and away from the male, some- 

 times biting gently at him, while occasionally he responded by nipping 

 at her with open mouth. At short intervals she dove toward him, barely 

 sliding under his breast, and emerged at once only a few feet away. . . . 

 A second male that tried to approach was driven away by quick rushes 

 though the female paid no attention to him. She continued her diving 

 and finally at intervals the male began to dive with her. . . . When they 

 emerged the female swam away for a short distance with the male fol- 

 lowing her. Frequently during these displays the female gave a peculiar 

 rattling; purring call like kwuh-h-h-h-h, while the males whistled in a 

 low tone." 



These ducks nest on the ground near the marshy creeks, sloughs and 

 ponds of the prairie regions of Canada and the northern central States. 

 The nests are usually well concealed in the tall prairie grasses and con- 

 sist of hollows in the ground sparingly lined with grasses and well sup- 

 plied with down from the breast. The normal set of eggs is from 9 to 12 

 but the number will vary from 6 to 15. The colour of the eggs is dark 

 olive buff and they are identical in appearance with those of the Ring- 

 necked Duck; the average size is 2.25 by 1.56 inches. Bent (1923) says: 

 "The females seemed to be very close sitters; we always flushed the bird 

 within 10 feet of us or less; but when once flushed they seemed to show 

 no further interest in the proceedings. The males apparently desert the 

 females after incubation has begun and flock by themselves in the 

 sloughs or small ponds. Lesser Scaup Ducks occasionally lay in other 

 ducks' nests; we found one of their eggs in a Gadwall's nest and one in 

 a White-winged Scoter's nest; but we found no evidence that other 

 ducks ever lay in the Scaup's nest." 



Of his attempts to capture specimens of ducklings, the same writer 

 says: "While engaged in rearing and studying young ducks in Manitoba 

 we employed Indians to catch the small young of this and some other 



