418 FEATHERED GAME 
THE RUDDY DUCK. 
(Erismatura jamaicensis.) 
This is strictly an American species. Its 
range is the whole North American continent, 
except possibly the northwest coast, passing 
southward through the West Indies and Cen- 
tral America to the northern shores of South 
America. In any part of this vast extent of 
country it is likely to be found during the 
breeding season, making for so small a fowl a 
large nest, near either salt or fresh water, and 
as often as not, building on some floating mass 
of rubbish, making a sort of houseboat for the 
family during the hot weather. The clutch of 
eggs is larger than is common in a duck’s nest 
—sometimes a dozen or more to a setting, gen- 
erally of pale buff color and quite large in pro- 
portion to the size of the bird. As to its choice 
of breeding country and the range of its travels, 
any place where there is water enough to float 
a duck and food enough either of vegetable 
matter or of shellfish to keep its little body 
plump upon is apt to receive a call from this 
small rover. 
