ANATIX.E — THE DUCKS — DAFILA. 



515 



larcl to 



iis the 



■ivulets, 



■IKiiv to 



Hliugly 



lined at 



the Yukon the first specimens were seen in tlie hitter part of Ai)ril; and liefore the 

 10th of May they had arrived in immense tiocks, which remained some time together 

 in that vicinity before jjassini,' fartlicr north or separating to breed. At tiiis time 

 the l)irds wei'c fat, and their Hesli delicious, mucli superior to that of any other 

 Duck, except the Widgeon. At the Yukon tlie Pin-tails are the latest in nesting of 

 any of the fresli-water Ducks, and generally hatch a weifk or two after tlie ^Fallard. 

 He found them breeding in the same grounds, and at about the same time, with 

 Fiiflx ({(finis, though th.y do not associate Avith that species. He always f(mnd their 

 nest in low b\it dry ground, under the shelter of trees or busiies, though never among 

 thick large trees, and not more than two or tliree rods from water. They never build 

 on hummocks in the water, nor on high land, but always just u])on the edge of a 

 marsh or lake. 



The nest is usually idaced at the foot of a willow, among grass, rather than leaves 

 or moss, and is extremely simple, being composed of merely a few bits of broken dry 

 grass and sticks, but w(dl lined with (h)wn. 



In observing t\n'. breeding-habits of the.se ])ucks, Mr. Kennicott was struck with 

 the remarkable persistence in the individuals of each sjjecies in always choosing pre- 

 cisely similar localities for their nests, so far as was possible; and he was therefore 

 somewhat particular in descril)ing minutely the peculiar nesting-place chosen by 

 each. 



The eggs are from seven to nine in number, and rather small in sizt>. At the 

 Yukon the young are mostly iiatclie<l in the early part of July. The old males moult 

 before this tinu'. and tiie females somewhat later. During the summer and fall, as 

 in tiie spring, the Hesh of this species is superior ti> that of any other Duck in that 

 region. It leaves the Y\dvon and the Mackenzie liiver Jiegion a little later than the 

 other fresh-water Ducks, except the Widgeon. It does not collect in such large flocks 

 in autumn as on its arrival in the sjtring. 



^Fr. Kennicott found l)ut few I'in-tails feeding on the wild rice in Xorthern Minne- 

 sota, where Mallards. Widgeons, and Green-winged Teals were plentiful. He saw the 

 young of this Duck in considerable immbers as early as June 14. 



Mr. MacFarlane found it breeding in large numbers in the neighborhood of Fort 

 Anderson, anil furidshcs notes in regard to many nests with their eggs, identified by 

 him. I'he nests were invariably iijion the ground, usually near the water, rarely 

 more than thirty or torty yards therefrom. The nest was usually a mere dejiression 

 in the ground, lined with down, with a few decayed feathers under the eggs. The 

 female sits very closely. In one case he api)roached within four feet before she flew 

 off. The eggs were usually from six to eight in number; and the male bird was 

 frequently found in the vicinity of the n(!st. Mr. MacFarhme states that the Tin-tail 

 is an abundant Duck in that (piarter, and among the first to arrive in spring. It 

 deserts its nest almost immediately after the young are hatched, and takes to the 

 water with them. From personal observations he was convinced that this species, 

 as Avell as the liitnlda rjInrlnHs. invariably sek\ land-locked sheets of water for the 

 purposes of rearing its young ; while other species give the preference to small streams 

 of running water. 



Mr. L. Kuudien informs me that this is one of the first of the Ducks to arrive in 

 the spring' in Southern AVisconsin. and is then quite common. Some remain all 

 summer ; but he has never found them breeding, nor seen any very young birds — as 

 would in all probability be the cas(> if any bred in that neighborhood. 



The ])oints in the .Vrctic Regions from which this Duck was reported to the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, are Fort Resolution ami the Yukon, by Mr. Kennicott ; mouth of 



