AMERICAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL 
239 
much-quoted author describes them as feeding principally upon the seeds of grasses, 
either floating or on the stalks, besides small acorns, fallen grapes or berries, aquatic 
insects, worms and snails. Briefly summarized, the results of an analysis of 653 
stomachs by the U.S. Biological Survey showed that birds taken in autumn, winter 
and early spring fed on vegetable matter in a proportion of over 90%. By far the 
largest item of food came from various species of sedges, including the seeds of a 
large number of unidentified bulrushes (38.2%). Various pond-weeds totalled 
11.52%, while grasses, smart-weeds and algae comprised most of the remainder. No 
fewer than 30,000 seeds of a Cyperus (sedge) were found in one stomach, while other 
stomachs contained as many as 1000 of some other kind of seed. The animal food 
consisted chiefly of insects, of which flies were the commonest family; small mollusks 
were next in number, and their broken shells were often used as grinding material 
instead of gravel (Mabbott, 1920). No acorns or grapes were found in any of these 
stomachs. It is interesting to find that in the interior of Alaska the food consisted 
of essentially the same items, viz,, sedges and horse-tail rush, Equisetum (Dice, 1920). 
CouBTSHiP AND NESTING. The display as I have frequently seen it on my own 
ponds and as Harper observed it for me many times in the Athabasca region, is ex- 
actly like that of the European Teal (see Plate 32). Pursuit flights are as common 
in this species as in other shoal-water ducks and were first noted by Harper on June 
13. Two males and a female, and once three males and a female, took part. Some- 
times the excited birds would twist in and out through the tops of the willows, the 
female uttering her call. 
Most of the nesting dates are for June, but there are several Alaskan dates for 
late May (Dali and Bannister, 1869; Nelson, 1887) and one for Edmonton, Alberta, 
May 25 (Spreadborough, in J. and J. M. Macoun, 1909). The spring of 1919 was a 
late one, and at the mouth of the Athabasca the first young were seen on July 2, and 
during the following week several other broods were found. On Jifly 14 three nearly 
feathered yoimg were seen (Harper, in litt.). It may be interesting to note that this 
species was one of the few ducks found in any numbers in the small rocky ponds 
toward the east end of Athabasca Lake, where the Surf Scoter was found nesting. 
The nest is usually placed near the water, but in a dry spot. Some, however, have 
been noted as much as a quarter of a mile from the water (Spreadborough, in J. and 
J. M. Macoun, 1909). It is very apparent from the small number of nests found, 
even in the great breeding areas, that the nests are better concealed and harder to 
find than those of the Mallard, Widgeon and Gadwall. Not infrequently they are 
placed in bushy situations, or under cover. 
The normal clutch is probably the same as that of the European Teal, though as 
many as sixteen to eighteen eggs, undoubtedly the work of two females, have been 
noted (Dali and Bannister, 1869). The eggs look exactly like those of Anas crecca 
