48 NOTES ON THE 
could be indistinctly seen, even at that distance. These are 
generally very irregular in their course, greatly increasing 
the distance to any point they approach, and hence very mis- 
leading to any one not aware of their habits. It occurred to 
me at once that she was following such a devious way, as she. 
advanced so indirectly and apparently hesitatingly. She never 
paused, however, until having arrived at a spot quite near a 
solitary bunch, or patchof rank growth, when after a moment’s 
pause, and survey, she dropped her briefly elevated head and 
disappeared in that patch of rank vegetation. Except the re- 
stricted covert thus afforded, she could scarcely have selected 
a more exposed location, as it was plainly in view for a dis- 
tance of three-fourths of a mile in the direction from which I 
saw her, and only a little less in any other one except directly 
opposite my location, which was slightly interrupted by the 
further elevation of the land. Marking down the location with- 
out the slightest difficulty, drove on to my destination, not very 
far beyond, passing much nearer to the spot in my way,I did not 
return for some two hours, but on doing so drove directly to 
the spot and upon carefully parting the rank prairie grass, 
avoided by the grazing cattle on account of its being the pro- 
duct of a deposit of their offal late in the previous year, I at 
once discovered the nest with five pale greenish-yellow eggs. * 
They had the faintest tinge of olivaceous-gray, and measured 
on an average, a little more than 2 by 1.50 inches. Being called 
to the same place again after ten days, I drove to the spot, and 
drove the duck from her nest to find she had fourteen eggs, 
settling the question of her depositing one each day after she 
began laying. My discovery of the nest was on the 238d day of 
May. In early seasons they occasionally arrive in their 
spring migration by the 5th of April, but usually somewhat 
later. More commonly they are then seen in small flocks only, 
yet I have known them in an exceptional year to appear in 
very large ones, but when such is the case I have observed 
that such flocks do not remain long, but pass on north further, 
suggesting that their destination is probably the highest lati- 
*When referring to the habits of the Shovellers in breeding, I should have said that 
while they frequently goso far from the water to build their nests, such is not their 
uniform custom, for more frequently the nests are to be found quite near it. One of 
them I found in a clump of rushes within a yard of running water, and another in the 
middle of a broad marsh, half a mile from water deep enouga for the duck to swim in. 
Thestructure consists of such materials as are most easily obtained at and near the 
spot. The one first mentioned, on the open prairie. consisted entirely of dried grass, 
overlaid with feathers from the bird’s own breast; while the latter two were con- 
structed of rushes and reeds. They otherwise are like most duck nests, rather firmly 
built of a liberal supply of material The market stalls bear testimony that nearly 
all sections are represented by this species, at least in the game season. 
