94 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



built, as usual, in the centre of a tuft of rushes in shallow water, as 

 this duck seldom nests in the grass like the pintail, shoveller, and 

 teal. (Raine.) The nests are bulky platforms of reeds, similar to 

 coots' nests; found generally on small swampy ponds, away from the 

 larger lakes, where the males associate in flocks. Eggs were taken 

 from May 21st to June 6th, 1902. (Brooks.) 



Scaups, canvas-backs and redheads undoubtedly breed in the 

 same marshes, and with them the ruddy duck. In the marshes at 

 Crane lake, between June 12th and 20th, the writer found nests of 

 all four species, with eggs of one or two other species in them. The 

 bulky nest mentioned under the greater scaup was likely built by 

 a canvas-back, but the larger number of the eggs were those of the 

 the scaup. 



148. American Scaup Duck. Big Blackhead. 



Aythyamarila (Linn.) Boie. 1822. 



A very rare straggler in Newfoundland; Dr. Grenfell brought a 

 specimen from Nain, Labrador; migrant in Nova Scotia, and oc- 

 casionally taken in New Brunswick. Seven taken by Boutelier on 

 Sable island in 1901. Spreadborough observed a few breeding on 

 James bay and in the interior of Labrador in 1896. Quite common 

 in Quebec, and abundant in southwestern Ontario during the spring 

 and fall migrations. A regular winter resident at Toronto. Not 

 rare in the St. Lawrence valley in the spring and autumn. Preble 

 saw a large flock near Fort Churchill, Hudson bay. 



Breeding on Lake Winnipegosis, but evidently the greater number 

 go north, and doubtless breed around the large lakes north of Lake 

 Winnipeg. It is a common duck in Alaska and along the whole 

 Aleutian chain, and, according to Turner, remains the entire year. 



An abundant resident in British Columbia; breeds chiefly east 

 of the Coast range; winters on the coast. (Fannin.) Tolerably 

 common in the lower Fraser valley, and wintering on Lake Okanagan, 

 B.C. (Brooks.) 



Breeding Notes. — Eggs taken at Buffalo lake. Alberta, June 

 14th, 1896. Seems to breed in most locaUties. (Dippie.) Breeding 

 in small lakes between Edmonton and Lake Ste. Anne, June, 1898. 

 Nest always near water; it is a shallow hole in the ground, lined 

 with grass and down. (Spreadborough.) A few breed at Lake 

 Winnipeg. (Gunn.) 



