614 Eepoet of State Geologist. 



Common migrant in suitably locjli^i^. It may occasionally ren^^n 

 through t^ie sumnier ^nd br^e^. A male was t^en June 38, 1879, 

 n,ear Sandusky, 6. (Ij^ia.gi(?n, Summer :^ids of IT- 0.^ Mw^J^^-j P- 3?8,-) 

 Mr. W'. H. Collins fov^^d it breeding at S,t. Clai? Flats, Mich.- (9.^^^. 

 Nutt. Orn. Club, 1880, pp. 61, 62.) 



The Eed-head spends the winter south of us, being very common 

 along the gulf coast. They vary in the time of their northward migra- 

 tion with the weather. Usually it does not appear in Indiana until 

 some time in March, but M,?. Stephen A. "Warnie reported six seen %t 

 St. Clair Flats, Mich., February 13, 1890. No more were observed 

 until March 8. Mr. "Warnie reports a few breeding then. In 1886 the 

 first was killed at English Lake, Ind., March 17; 1887 the first was 

 Ifilled, March 4. A few were seen Ma.rch 6, 1893. (Deaij.,?.) In 1888 

 Prof. B. W. Evermann reported the first noted in the State at Teire 

 Haute, March 9. 



Some years many of them pass north early in April; other years they 

 remain well through the month. At English Lake, May 3, 1891, a 

 number were seen. But on the 10th a single one was, noted with Scaup 

 Ducks. (Deane.) 



The Eedhead breeds from the northern United States northward 

 through Manitoba, Assiniboia, Alberta, and the Northwest Territory, 

 but apparently does not reach the Arctic Ocean. 



The following account of a nest obtained by Mr. Collins, above re- 

 ferred to, is of interest: "The past season I had the good fortune ta 

 find two nests of the Eedhead Duck {Aythya americana), containing 

 respectively, seven and eight eggs. The first was placed on some 

 drifted rushes on a sunken log, and was composed of flags and rushes,, 

 evidently taken from the pile of drift upoi^ iiLe log, as they- were sliort 

 pieces, so short, in fact, that the nest, w^ei}, lifl^d witl^, the ha^ds,- 

 f^ll in pieces, Th§ nest wa§ about four inches d.e^p, ^nd lipied witl^ 

 down from the female. ThiS: nest CQfl,tajuqd sevq^ f^esli Qggs of, a 

 crea,my coloj-j and varied i^ iii^as^r^naents frpiji^.^Q l)y 1.75 to 3.33 Ijy 

 1.66 inches, and were of, a iiujform ova^ shape, very lit^ile smaller at 

 oue ^n,d. The other -r^est, \va§, bujjt, sii|iilar. to a, Coot's nest ; thp,t is, 

 of flags and gra,ss interwoven at the Ijasg of ^^^bun^qh of flags growing ip 

 watjer three or fou,r f^Cjt (Jfi^P- I;t Tjjai. b.U^^^i ir^i sv^dh, a, w,ay that the 

 nest would rise and fall with the water. This nest ajso eontftjjie^' 

 down and eight fresh. e^gs,,unif9r;nii, i;i siz^ sj?,^^e ^Rd color with the 

 others. The birds, n;ale ajid^ fe;i)^aje,,w,erq %i:?\g a^ ox\nd, &^^ ofteft 

 came close to me. The cry of the female re^eqi,l3les, tji^ qry of the 

 Mallard so, nearly that, hadJ hea-^^ a^di upt. s^en it I sl).Quld„hay,& sup- 

 posed it to have been the Mallard." 



