60 NOTES ON THE 
the central portion of the secondaries; outer primaries and tips 
of all, brownish-black; inner ones pale gray; the central line 
dusky; axillars and middle of the inferior surface of the wing, 
white; bill blue; nail black; legs plumbeous; iris yellow. 
Length, 20; wing, 9; tarsus, 1.60; commissure, 2.15. 
Habitat, North America generally. 
Since the previous was penned, I have recovered some of my 
most valuable notes which had mysteriously disappeared some 
time ago, amongst which is an account of discovery of a full 
nest of this species in the latter part of May, 1877, but a short 
distance from my cottage at Lake Minnetonka. It was built on 
the side of an obsolete, half destroyed old muskrat house, in 
the middle of a reedy lake or pond, formerly a bay-like prong 
of the greater lake itself It was composed of reeds almost en- 
tirely, over which were some grasses, and over this a layer of 
the duck’s own feathers. Ten pale, drab colored, dirty eggs, 
with just a perceptible wash of olivaceous, constituted the 
clutch, none of which showed any signs of being addled. The 
Blue-bills breed in all portions of the State I doubt not, much 
more frequently than generally hitherto supposed. 
The reckless presumptions, or rather assumptions of carpet- 
concluders, as to the habits of species about which little was 
formerly known, have deterred many from earnest, expectant 
investigations in sections where the decree had precluded all 
hopes of finding them at all. Over ambitious writers have an- 
ticipated science by gratuitous conclusions upon very small 
data for very large inferences. We feel sorry for them when 
sleeping truth has finished her nap. The world is round, and 
still moves unconcernedly on. 
AYTHYA AFFINIS (Eyron). (149.) 
LESSER SCAUP DUCK. 
It has been often observed that although the Greater Scaup 
Ducks may come to us in the spring or fall migration in great 
numbers, the Lesser Scaup Ducks are just as likely to be only 
sparingly represented, and when on the other hand, the former 
are barely represented, this species will as possibly be found 
abundant; yet this is by no means a rule, for I have not only 
known them to both be here in exceptional numbers, but to be 
equally reduced to a mere representation. I find by referring 
to my records of the dates of arrival of the birds in spring, 
that as a general thing, the species under consideration, has 
been slightly later in arriving at this locality, say three to five 
days. Like the former, they seek the running streams, or 
rather their estuaries. on first reaching this latitude, but very 
soon resort to the swampy marshes and shallow ponds and 
pools. Their food is more restricted to larvae, worms, and 
