342 BUCEPHALA ALBEOLA 



Some 60 stomachs have thus far been examined by the U.S. Biological Survey. 

 Though relatively few, these were collected at points throughout the ordinary winter 

 range of the bird. No material representing the summer food was available. The 

 most important elements of the vegetable food are the seeds and foliage of bushy 

 (Naias) and other (Potamogeton) pond-weeds. Winter buds of sago pond-weed and 

 wild celery also are eaten, as well as seeds and foliage of widgeon-grass, eel-grass and 

 coontail. To a lesser extent seeds of wild rice, smart -weeds, bulrushes, and various 

 sedges are consumed. Of the animal food mollusks and the immature stages of 

 aquatic insects are most important. Both univalves and bivalves are eaten, and 

 among the insects dragon-fly and may-fly nymphs, caddis larvae, fly larvae, and water 

 beetles and bugs. Shrimps, crabs, and other crustaceans, and a few barnacles are 

 obtained by birds sojourning in salt water, and small fishes are not infrequently 

 captured (W. L. McAtee, MS. notes). 



The work of Audubon, of C. B. Horsbrugh (1915) and of Alford (1921) add little 

 or nothing to the above summary. Very small fish, mentioned by several writers, as 

 well as fish spawn, may be taken on occasion. A bird taken on St. Paul's Island May 

 19 had nothing in its stomach but caddis larvae and their cases. Another one taken 

 at the end of January had ground-up amphipods 80%, small bivalves 18%, besides 

 a bit of a barnacle (Preble, 1923). 



Courtship and Nesting. Buffle-heads reach their breeding area in Alaska dur- 

 ing the last days in April and soon after almost every small lake in the upper Kuskok- 

 wim basin is pre-empted by a pair of them (Dice, 1920). In the Athabasca region a 

 pair was seen on May 1 and breeding birds were well established by the middle or 

 latter part of the month. 



Although the character of the display was first indicated by Elliot (1898) and the 

 pugnacious tendencies of the males were noted by Alexander Wilson, the courtship 

 was first described in detail by C. W. Townsend (1916). It is noticeably different from 

 that of either of the Golden-eyes. The prominent features are the short flights of the 

 males. They rise easily, fly low over the water for a very short distance, then check 

 their speed, and with down -bent wings and heads well up alight tail first with a good 

 deal of a splash. Besides these flights and intervals of diving and preening, the ardent 

 male suddenly "spreads and cocks his tail, puffs out the feathers of his head and 

 cheeks, extends his bill straight out in front close to the water and every now and 

 then throws it back with a bob, in a sort of reverse bow." The males continually 

 chase each other and particularly fend off the yearling males, who, even at that date, 

 are in immature plumage. 



The laying season is not especially early. In central British Columbia the first 

 eggs were taken on May 21 and May 22, while in one case downy young were found 

 on May 16. The usual time for young to appear is toward the end of June. In the 



