FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 



495 



least it rears its young as far to the southward as Texas. During May or June the 

 nest is constructed, not near the water, as is the habit of many ducks, but commonly 

 on dry land, on the ground among trees, and is an inconsequential affair — merely 

 a depression among the leaves, thickly lined with down which the female is 

 said to use to cover the eight to twelve plain buffy white eggs whenever, after 

 incubation has begun, she has occasion to leave the nest. When yet unable to 

 fly, the little ducklings resort to the shores of grassy ponds or lakes, where 

 the parent watches solicitously over their 

 welfare until they are able to care for 

 themselves. 



So great variation exists in the color of 

 this bird that one description can scarcely 

 be made adequate, but the adult male is as 

 follows: About 21 inches in length and 32 

 in extent of wing ; the forehead and crown 

 are white, or nearly so ; on the side of the 

 head from the eye to the back of the neck 

 is a broad dark metallic green band, meeting 

 its fellow behind, the rest of the head being 

 grayish or brownish Avhite, thickly speckled 

 with blackish; the back and scapulars are 

 grayish white with some vinaceous tinge, and 

 finely vermiculated with black ; the rump is 

 plumbeous or ashy, with obsolete cross mark- 

 ings, the upper tail-coverts are black, with 

 grayish inner webs, the tail ashy gray. The 

 wing quills are dark gray, their coverts 

 immaculate white, excepting some of the 

 lesser series which are grayish, and the 

 greater coverts which are tipped with black ; 

 the speculum is metallic green in front, vel- 

 vety black behind ; the tert.ials black, mar- 

 gined with white. The lower throat and 

 upper breast are pinkish ; the sides and flanks 

 are of the same color delicately vermiculated 

 with black ; the remainder of the lower sur- 

 face is white, excepting the velvety black tail- 

 coverts. The bill is pale grayish blue, the 



IN AMBUSH. 



