THE VELVET DUCK. 333 



southern coast of Labrador. Thousands of sterile individuals, however, 

 spend the summer on the Bay of Fundy. 



During the breeding season, the Velvet Duck resembles the Eider in its 

 habits, only that it prefers fresh water, which is rarely the case with the 

 other species. The males leave the females after incubation has commenced. 

 Those which breed at Labrador begin to form their nests from the 1st to the 

 10th of June, and on the 2Sth of July I caught some young ones several days 

 old. The nests are placed within a few feet of the borders of small lakes, a 

 mile or two distant from the sea, and usually under the low boughs of the 

 bushes, of the twigs of which, with mosses and various plants matted 

 together, they are formed. They are large and almost flat, several inches 

 thick, with some feathers of the female, but no down, under the eggs, which 

 are usually six in number, intermediate in size between those of the Eider 

 and King Ducks, measuring an inch and three quarters in length, one and 

 seven-eighths in breadth, of a uniform pale cream-colour, tinged with green, 

 not pure white as stated by some authors. On the 28th of July I procured 

 five young ones out of a brood of six, among which, although to appearance 

 scarcely a week old, I could readily distinguish the males from the females 

 as they swam on the little pond around their mother, the former having 

 already a white spot under the eye. The down with which they were 

 covered was rather stiff and hair-like, of a black colour, excepting under the 

 chin, where there was a small patch of white. They swam with great ease, 

 and when we drove them into a narrow place for the purpose of catching 

 them, they several times turned upon us and dived with the view of getting 

 back to the middle of the pond, so that at last we found it necessary to shoot 

 them. Only one escaped ashore, which my young friend Thomas Lincoln 

 caught, but afterwards restored to its mother, which continued on the pond, 

 manifesting the greatest anxiety, and calling to her brood all the while with 

 short squeaking notes, by no means unpleasant to the ear. On being shot at, 

 she flew off to another pond, but soon returned. Her plumage was rusty 

 and ragged, but the wings seemed to be complete, as she flew with great 

 ease, springing at once from the water. 



Mr. Jones of Bras d'Or assured me, that either that individual or another 

 of the same species, had bred on the same pond for six or seven years in 

 succession, and that he had looked at the nest and observed her manners 

 when leading about the young, which he said did not leave the pond until 

 they were able to fly. That year, 1833, she and her mate had arrived nearly 

 a month later than usual. This accounted for the small size of the young, 

 which he was sorry to see dead; and here let me say that Mr. Jones, who is 

 not only a good-hearted and benevolent man, but also fond of observing 



Vol. VI. 46 



