53
Lake Umbagog
1897.
May 15        
(No. 2)
   Watrous visited and examined the Whistler's nest
at the mouth of Peaslee's Brook this morning. It contained
nineteen eggs, all of the same type as regards both
shape and colouring. The [female] was not sitting either yesterday
(when I happened on the tree) or to-day. The nest was
a little more than arm's length below the entrance.
They were uncovered but there was an abundance of
down about them.
[margin]Whistler's
nest with
nineteen
eggs[/margin]
  I saw the pair (or another pair) of Whistlers flying
along near there this afternoon and on this, as with
as every other occasion that I can remember, the
duck was leading & the drake following closely 
in her wake.
[margin]The [female]
Whistler leads 
when the
pairs are
flying together [/margin] 
   I believe that with the Black Duck also the
female always precedes the male when the pair
are flying together at least at this season.
Certainly this has been the case with all the
pairs that I have seen here this season including two
birds that passed our house boat this morning
(startled, as I afterwards learned, by Watrous
near one of the floating islands near Upton).
The sexes can be easily & certainly distinguished 
by the difference of size, the [male] being much larger
than the [female].
[margin]Black Ducks
The [female] 
leads when 
the pairs
are on 
wing [/margin]
   Early this morning I heard the piping call of a
Titlark repeated a dozen or more times. The
bird was indirectly flying about over the Brook,
at a considerable height apparently.
[margin]Titlark              
heard[/margin]