264 NYROCA MARILA 



above water in marsh grass thirty feet from a pond (J. Grinnell, 1900). On the Mag- 

 dalen Islands two nests were found placed in a bunch of rushes growing in the water 

 (Young, in J. and J. M. Macoun, 1909). Riemschneider (1896) found nests in Ice- 

 land placed in crevices of the lava beds, some one or two feet or even an arm's length 

 in depth. 



The ordinary nest is very unpretentious, usually only a hollow in the ground lined 

 with dry vegetation picked up in the immediate vicinity, and supplied with down by 

 the female. 



Quite the most remarkable characteristic of the species is its gregariousness on the 

 breeding grounds. In Iceland, on Myvatn Lake, there are colonies which resemble 

 closely those made by Eiders. Many nests are found there so close to each other 

 that they actually touch. Millais (1913) found over one hundred Scaups nesting in 

 an area of three or four acres near a farm. In many cases two or three nests were 

 touching one another, while in others two Scaup nests could be seen with a Mallard 

 or Widgeon sitting sandwiched in between. An even more remarkable assemblage is 

 mentioned by Slater (1901). He tells of a certain Mr. Thomas Carter finding on one 

 small group of islands in Myvatn 305 nests of the Scaup. 



A curious point is that these birds are not sociable with other species, in fact they 

 are quite exclusive and monopolize some of the islands. Thus Kriiper (1857) says 

 that among 134 eggs taken on one small island on June 23 only three were eggs of 

 Barrow's Golden-eye and six to eight eggs of the Long-tailed Duck. The rest were 

 all Scaups' eggs. 



In Iceland the clutches vary from eight to eleven, averaging about nine. In 

 Alaska, Nelson (1887) considered clutches of more than eight unusual. Larger 

 clutches are not infrequently found in Iceland. These are probably the work of two 

 females. As many as twenty-two have been found in one case, although the district 

 had been collected in only eight days before (Kriiper, 1857). 



Although it is not unusual for clutches to be mixed, there are only one or two cases 

 on record in which other birds have laid in Scaups' nests. In Saskatchewan (Scaup 

 species ?) one nest was found containing nine Scaup's eggs and two of the Canvas- 

 back (J. and J. M. Macoun, 1909). Mr. C. W. Shepard (northwest peninsula of 

 Iceland) says that on the Myvatn he found a female Scaup and a female Long-tailed 

 Duck sitting on the same nest, which contained a number of eggs of both species. In 

 other cases Riemschneider (1896) states that the Scaup has been known to lay eggs 

 in the nest of the Red-breasted Merganser, the nest in this case being somewhat 

 larger than usual, and the down being supplied by the Merganser. He found no in- 

 stances of Mergansers laying in Scaups' nests, however, though he was told that in 

 the cases of communism mentioned above both females incubated. 



The eggs are dull drab to olive gray, almost like the typical pheasant egg in color. 

 They may very easily be confused with those of the Pochard, Lesser Scaup or Ring- 



