76 BIRDS 



where eight to fourteen beautiful bluish-green eggs are 

 deposited. The writer found ten eggs, fourteen feet from the 

 ground, in the hollow of an oak on a timbered peninsula 

 jutting out into Devil's Lake, North Dakota. In passing 

 he noticed little particles of down attached to the bark above 

 the cavity. Inspection disclosed the incubating bird, which 

 refused to leave her treasures until touched. 



BUFFLE-HEAD 



This beautiful little duck, known as Buffle-head, Butter- 

 ball, or Sj^irit Duck, ranges from the Atlantic to the 

 Pacific, migrating in October to the Gulf States and Mex- 

 ico. A few remain in the northern portions of the northern 

 tier of States, but the wild lakes of Ontario, Manitoba, 

 and Alberta are the regions frequented during the nesting 

 season. 



It is the smallest of our deep-water ducks, not abun- 

 dant, and seldom seen in large flocks. The large head of 

 the males is covered with a crest of greenish-blue and white 

 feathers, which they raise and lower, thus presenting a pic- 

 turesque sight as they swim about on the water, diving with 

 remarkable rapidity. Their flight is strong and rapid, mak- 

 ing them a good mark for the sportsman. 



Their food is principally fash and other small marine 

 life, which they secure by descending into great depths of 

 water. 



Like the golden-eye, the wood duck, and the mergan- 

 sers, the buffle-head deposits her eggs in hollow trees. It 

 is remarkable how small an entrance will accommodate the 



