Ruddy Duck 65 
Distribution.—Ranging from Labrador and British Columbia to 
Guatemala and the West Indies, breeding chiefly towards the north 
but also south, as far as Guatemala, Cuba and Porto Rico, and 
wintering as far north as Maine and southern British Columbia. 
In Colorado the Ruddy Duck is a summer resident breeding in the 
plains and also in the mountains, probably up to about 8,000 feet, 
though Drew says 10,000 feet. It arrives rather late for a duck— 
at the end of March or beginning of April. It breeds at Loveland 
(Smith) and Barr (Hersey & Rockwell), and near Greeley, whence 
there are eggs in the Colorado College Museum, and probably at San 
Luis Lakes, where it was taken by Aiken, July 11th. 
Other localities are Boulder co. (Henderson), El Paso co. (Aiken), 
Pueblo (Beckham), Fort Lyon (Thorne), Breckenridge on migration 
(Carter), Buens Vista (Keyser), Crested Butte and Coventry (Warren). 
Habits.—The Ruddy Duck in some ways resembles 
the Grebes in its habits. It swims high in the water 
with its tail erect and spread out like a fan; it prefers 
to escape by diving rather than by flight, and it can 
sink silently into the water, where it uses its long tail 
like a rudder. It feeds chiefly on roots and the slender 
stems of water-plants growing on the bottom, which 
it obtains by diving, and also on small mollusca. 
Smith states that their nests are difficult to find, and 
that eggs are dropped about rather promiscuously. 
Rockwell tells me that he has often found them in the 
nests of other ducks ; the nests are built chiefly of flags 
in water six to twelve inches deep, while a run-way of 
roots is built up on oneside. The eggs, 7 to 9 in number, 
are remarkably large for the size of the bird ; they measure 
about 2°45 x 1:85, and are rough, thick-shelled and 
dirty white. Dille gives June 19th as an average date 
for fresh eggs. Those presented to the Colorado College 
by I. C. Hall were taken June 28th, but they were 
slightly incubated. 
Subfamily ANSERINZ. 
The Wild Geese are distinguished from the Swans 
by having the lores and face completely feathered, and 
F 
