BIRDS. - 77 



Tliey fly iu small compact flocks, rarely exceeding fifty birds iu a flock, aud skim close along 

 the surface of the ice or marsh with a flight very similar to that of other heavy-bodied seaducks. 

 Very soon after reaching their destination the flocks disband and the birds quietly pair, but the 

 first eggs are rarely laid earlier than the first days of June. 



Most of my eggs were taken fresh between the 10th and i'Oth of this mouth, aud I obtained 

 the young just out of the egg on July 23. The middle of August young birds are frequently seen 

 from a few days old to those nearly ready to take wing. During this mouth the adult birds pass 

 through the summer moult, aud with the half-grown young desert the marshes and tide-creeks for 

 the sea-coast and outlying rocky islands. 



By September 1 scarcely a single individual can be found on the marshes, and by the 20th they 

 are scarce along the coast. 



Their food in summer consists of small Crustacea, grass, .'<eeds, aud such other food as the 

 brackish pools afford. 



Wheu first paired the birds choose a pond on the marsh, aud are thenceforth found in its vicin- 

 ity until the young are hatched. Their love-making is very quiet. I have never heard any note 

 uttered except by the female while conducting her brood out of danger. As the grass commences 

 to show green and the snow aud ice are nearly gone, although the other denizens of the marsh are 

 already well along in their housekeeping, these ducks choose some dry, grassy spot close to the 

 pond, and makiug a slight hollow with a warm lining of grass, they commence the duties of the 

 season. 



One nest found on June 15 was on a bed of dry grass within a foot of the water on the boi'der 

 of the pond, and w'heu the female flew off the siugle egg could be seen 20 yards away. Tus- 

 socks of dry grass, small islands in ponds, aud knolls close to the water's edge are all chosen as 

 nesting places, and as a rule the nest is well concealed by the dry grass standing about. If the 

 nest contains but one or two eggs the female usually flies off aud remains until the intruder is 

 gone; but if the set is nearly completed or incubation is begun she will soon return, frequently 

 accompanied by the male, and both circle about, showing the greatest uneasiness. The female will 

 sometimes alight iu the pond, within easy range, and both parents maj' be obtained by watching 

 near the nest. The male is rarely seen after the young are hatched, but the female shows the 

 greatest courage iu guarding her brood, as the following incident will show: A brood was swim- 

 ming away from me, and the female tried to j)rotect them bj' keeping between the young and 

 myself. I fired two charges of No. 12 shot, killing all the young, yet, iu spite of the fact that 

 the parent received a large share of the charge each time, she refused to fly, aud kept trying to urge 

 her dead offspring to move on, until a charge of larger shot mercifullj' stretched her among her off- 

 spring. Upon removing the skin her back was found to be filled with fine shot, and her desperate 

 courage iu defense of her brood shows the strength of parental feeling. Other similar instances 

 attest the courage aud devotion of this si^ecies. 



The eggs usually number from five to eight or uiue in a set and are small for the size of the bird. 

 Extremes measure 2.82 by 1.81, 2.60 by 1.87. In color they are of a light olive drab. 



During August the fall moult takes place, aud the males assume a plumage much like that of 

 the female. 



The iris and pupil of these ducks are verj' small, with a broad ring of bright milky blue sur- 

 rounding the iris ; to a casual observer this blue ring appears to be the iris. The spring male 

 has the eye as just described, the feet aud legs dull olive brown, except scales on front of tarsus 

 and toes, which are dingy yellowish. The bill is dull orange. The bill of the female is dull blue, 

 feet aud tarsi dull yellowish brown. 



The young of the year in fall have eyes like the adults; dark olive-browu bills, with dull yel- 

 lowish, shaded with olive-brown, legs aud feet. The males aud females are very nearly of the 

 same size, aud average from 20 to 22.5 inches iu length by 31 to 36.5 inches in spread of wiug. They 

 are heavily built, like all Eiders ; Ihey are considerably smaller than the Pacific Eider, but as much 

 larger than Steller's Duck, which latter has more the build aud shape of a Gadwall, aud is the 

 least clumsy of its kind. The Spectacled -Eider is so restricted iu its range aud so local iu its dis- 

 tribution, even where it occurs, that, like the Labrador Duck aud the Gi-eat Auk, it may readily be 

 so reduced in uumbers as to become a comparatively rare bird. A species limited in the breeding 



