66 Unwersity of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 30 



On June 23 three nests were found in one marsh. Two of these were 

 about twenty feet apart, the other some two hundred yards away. 

 The two closely adjoining nests when found held, respectively, two 

 and four egg's, the other, eight. The nests with two and four eggs, on 

 July 2 held, respectively, nine and ten. 



The three nests were similarly placed, each in a tussock of long 

 marsh grass, barely above the level of the water, and they were simi- 

 larly built. Construction was of the slightest, the nest walls being 

 formed largely of growing grass, and the bottom of the same sort of 

 grass, some placed there but mostly consisting of the crushed vegetation 

 that had been growing on the hummock. The upper rim of the nest 

 wall was dry, but the lower two-thirds was sodden and the eggs were 

 wet. There was no down in any of the nests. In each case the parent 

 bird could slip oif of her eggs directly into water deep enough to swim 

 in, six or eight inches in depth, aind, by narrow channels through the 

 hummocks, she could reach an open pond nearby. 



On July 7 many male scaups were seen that were assuming the 

 eclipse plumage. Two drakes noted July 18 were mostly in eclipse, 

 but were strong on the wing. On July 20 the first downy young 

 appeared. On September 19, the last date on which I visited a suitable 

 spot for this species, several small flocks were seen, perhaps twenty -five 

 or thirty birds, all told. 



Four specimens were collected (nos. 44633-44636), one adult male, 

 one adult female, and two downy young. 



Glaucionetta islandica (Gmelin). Barrow Golden-eye 



Present at Carcross when we arrived. May 22. One of the most 

 abundant ducks about Atlin ; nearly as numerous as the lesser scaup 

 and of even more general distribution. The difference in habitats of 

 the two species lay in the greater abundance of the golden-eye in 

 the little mountain lakes at high altitudes. We found no nests, but 

 the situation of some of the broods seen precluded the possibility of 

 their having been hatched within cavities in trees. Many families 

 were found on lakes above timber line, long distances from trees of 

 sufficient size to afford sheltering holes. 



The first young appeared July 3. This particular brood was kept 

 under observation until August 13. Originally nine in number, it was 

 reduced (cause unknown) to seven by July 7. On August 13, the flock 

 consisted of six, plus the mother, and the young then were about three- 



