A Redhead disturbed from her nest or 

 young displays great uneasiness,often cir- 

 cles about overhead,then darts past the in- 

 truder, continually "quacking" and en- 

 deavoring in every way to divert his at- 

 tention. During the nesting period the 

 drakes enjoy basking in the sun, on the 

 sandy shores and reefs ; sometimes 

 twenty-five are seen crowded together on 

 a little sand bar out in the lake. 



The eggs are elliptical or oval in 

 shape, varying from light greenish or 

 grayish drab to a creamy or buff color, 

 measuring 2.30 to 2.42 inches in length 

 by 1.70 inches in breadth. I found six 

 to fifteen eggs in a single iiest, and my 

 companion discovered one containing 

 twenty-one eggs. These may have been 

 deposited by different Redheads, as eggs 

 of the Redhead and canvasback have 

 been found together in the same nest. It 

 is not unlikely that two females of the 

 same species used the same nest, which 

 probably accounts for the twenty-one 

 eggs found by my friend. The eggs are 

 readily distinguished from those of the 

 canvasback, the latter oeing dark green 

 or greenish drab. 



Soon after incubation commences, if not 

 before, the mother bird plucks the down 

 from her breast and lines the interior of 

 her nest with the light grayish, or al- 

 most white, substance. (The down of 

 the canvasback is bluish gray or mouse 

 color.) Thus, while sitting, her eggs 



are given full benefit of the warmth 

 from her body, and when she desires to 

 leave the nest she has but to cover the 

 eggs with the down. This enables the 

 parent bird to remain away from her 

 nest hours at a time, with no fear that 

 her treasures will suffer from exposure 

 during her absence. 



It was late one afternoon on a balm- 

 June day that I left our camp among 

 the small timbers bordering a pictur- 

 esque lake, in what is known as the 

 Devil's Lake Region of North Dakota. 

 My intention was to visit a small pop- 

 lar grove some distance up the shore. I 

 took a roundabout course, with the hope 

 of finding something interesting, and, as 

 I wound my way through the slough 

 which lay before me, I espied a Pochard 

 as she arose from the marsh some fifty 

 yards ahead. About ten minutes later, 

 after struggling through tangled vege- 

 tation in water knee deep, I found my- 

 self standing before a tuft of grass which 

 seemed to contain something suspicious. 

 Peering through an opening I saw the 

 tell-tale down, which was unmistakable 

 evidence that I had found her nest. I 

 parted the grass and burrowed with my 

 hand into what appeared a ball of hay 

 and feathers, and I soon disclosed ten 

 glossy eggs, which, together with the 

 nest, are shown in the accompanying 

 illustration. 



Gerard Alan Abbott. 



THE LOON. 



Masterless thing am I, 

 Fearing no God, 

 Heeding no rod. 

 Free as free thought I fly. 



Far 'neath the old witch moon, 

 Isle-studded lake. 

 Marsh, fen, and brake 

 Wail to the moan of the loon. 



Madman and outcast I, 

 With my mad mate. 

 Early and late, 

 Harry the hollow sky. 



S'corned O'f all winged things, 



Scorning their scorn, 



Evening and morn 



Through the wild waste there rings 



Out from the drowned north land. 



Weirdly the croon 



Of the lone loon 



Banned by the outlaw's brand. 



George Carey. 



29 



