AMONG THE WATER FOWL 



had gone but a few steps when another Teal flushed 

 at close quarters, and I soon found the nest, similar 

 to the last, with a set of nine eggs. In the same 

 way we found three more Teals' nest in this tract, 



five in all. 



The first day 

 of June I also 

 found my first 

 Mallards' nests. 



" THIS FIRST DAY OF JUNE I ALSO FOUND MY 

 FIRST MALLARDS' NESTS" 



One was on a lit- 

 tle hummock, in 

 a tuss o c k of 

 grass, a little 

 way out in the 

 water where the 

 lake shore was marshy, the big bird springing 

 forth with a bound into the air when I was per- 

 haps fifteen yards away. The nest was quite sub- 

 stantial and well lined, and held ten yellowish drab 

 eggs, slightly tinged with green. The other nest 

 was on an island in front of our camp, placed in 

 a thicket of trees and bushes. The first time the 

 Duck flushed I could hardly get a glimpse of her, 

 so I came again later in the day, and, approaching 

 carefully, easily identified the nine eggs, that, like 

 the others, were quite fresh. 



A few days later we drove on, still eastward, 

 over a most desolate, mainly uninhabited prairie, 

 to Rush Lake, which I have already described. 

 On one part of its shore a fire had burned over a 

 large tract of grass and rushes, and I saw quite a 

 number of nests of scorched Ducks' eggs exposed 

 to view. I shall remember this great prairie lake 



182 



