406 
ANAS VERSICOLOR 
scavenger beetles), Corixidae (water-boatmen) and one Chironomus larva (midge). 
There were also remains of a Tropisternus (water-scavenger beetle). 
Courtship and Nesting. Not much has been written about the nesting 
habits of this species. It arrives at its southern breeding grounds in Tierra del 
Fuego (Crawshay, 1907) and probably breeds later than the Brown Pintail, Crested 
Duck or Chiloe Widgeon. In northwestern Patagonia it seemed to Mr. Peters (MS.) 
to be completely mated by September first. Once or twice about that time he saw 
male birds swimming about another, presumably a female, with neck extended and 
bill almost touching the water. A female killed on September 13 had not yet com- 
pleted her moult and had about 90% of the contour feathers with soft bases and 
unabsorbed pigment, while the ovaries were only about as large as peas. Nearly a 
month later, on October 16, a male in full breeding plumage and with sex organs 
fully developed, was collected. Young in down were taken between November 13 
and 16. Fully grown young were noted on January 8 and 11. The only nest found 
by E. Gibson (1920) in Buenos Aires Province was taken on October 10. Venturi 
took two eggs as late as January 7 at Santiago del Estero in the northern Argentine 
(Hartert and Venturi, 1909). All over the northern part of its range the season is 
undoubtedly very extended and irregular. 
The nest is made in the reeds, and evidently is well lined with down (E. Gibson, 
1920; Peters, MS.). Only one or two nests have ever been described, but there is no 
doubt in my mind that A. H. Holland (1892) is wrong in stating that they nest in the 
Green Parakeet colonies. That naturalist evidently confused the present species 
with the Yellow-billed Teal {Anas jiavirostris) which, so far as I know, is the only 
duck in the Argentine that resorts to those unusual sites. 
The clutch, according to the popular account of Alvarez (1913) numbers eight to 
ten. The only nest ever found by E. Gibson (1920) contained nine eggs. I have been 
unable to find any description of the eggs nor is anything known of the length of the 
incubation period. Mr. Peters (MS.) found the male as well as the female in the 
vicinity of the nesting sites, which they w'ere very loath to leave. It seems to me not 
improbable that in this species, where the sexes are so similar, the male remains 
with the female, perhaps until the young are hatched. The only contradictory 
evidence is a note by Wetmore (MS.) concerning Buenos Aires Province, where, on 
November 9, he encountered several flocks containing from eight to ten males which 
had apparently banded together after having bred. There is, of course, no actual 
proof that they were not non-breeding birds of both sexes, for it is very difficult to 
distinguish males and females. 
Status. In northwestern Patagonia this species was third in order of abundance 
during the breeding season and represented about two to three per cent of all the 
