254 The Water-fowl Family 



This duck is common in Honduras and Trini- 

 dad, breeding in both these localities. In Texas 

 it occurs near Matamoras and Monterey, and is 

 met with near Galveston in winter. A single 

 specimen taken at Fort Tejon, southern Cali- 

 fornia, is the only instance of its capture in this 

 state. The black-bellied tree-duck breeds gener- 

 ally throughout its range, choosing a hole in a 

 tree or broken stump, often a mile or more from 

 water, as the site for its nest. This is sometimes 

 placed thirty feet or more from the ground, a 

 second and third brood in some instances being 

 raised. In April, 1901, I found these birds abun- 

 dant in the vicinity of Tampico, Mexico. They 

 were most often seen in small flocks of from four 

 to ten on the banks at the edge of the lagoon. 

 Their long legs gave them an odd look. At our 

 approach they would run together, raising their 

 long necks much like geese. The flight was pe- 

 culiar and characteristic, low down and in a line, 

 their large wings with white bands presenting a 

 striking aspect, and giving the impression of a 

 much larger bird. We saw them occasionally on 

 the smaller ponds, and shot several, all of them 

 males. In one or two instances the appearance 

 of the breast indicated the bird had been sitting 

 on eggs. While the males of this species are 

 supposed to attend to their own affairs during 

 the period of incubation, it would seem as if they 



