THE CONDOR 
Vol. XIII 
126 
One set of nine eggs in a beautifully built nest at the side of a neglected road 
was visited by some animal which had made a small hole in the side of each egg 
and had sucked the contents. 
The Blue-winged Teal are among the last ducks to arrive from the south in 
the spring, seldom being seen in any numbers before April first, and the great 
bulk of the birds arrive about the middle of April. The birds are mated, and the 
flocks for the most part scattered by the middle of May, and the first signs of nest- 
ing are usually found during the third week in May. The earliest complete set 
found by us was a beautiful set of eleven eggs on May 24, 1908. This nest must 
have been completed and laying begun by May 13. The average date for complete 
sets is about June 1. We found complete sets of fresh eggs as late as July 21, 
from which we infer that a second set is laid when the first one is destroyed. The 
Idg. .16. nesting site of cinn.\mon te.'^l, showing method ok C0NCE.4E.MENT 
majority of sets watched by us hatched during the third week in June, but two 
nests were found from which the young had gone by June 8. 
We tried repeatedly to satisfy ourselves that an egg was deposited each day, 
and finally on June 11 a nest was found containing one egg, and seven days later 
the same nest contained eight. 
The birds were very sensitiv^e to any disturbance of the eggs and on this 
account we did not dare to handle or touch them, except when absolutely necess- 
ary. This prevented us from ascertaining whether or not incubation began after 
the first egg was laid; but from the fact that the entire clutch usually hatches on the 
same day and the young ones leave the nest as soon as they are dr\y it is highly 
improbable that the female undertakes the duties of incubation until the comple- 
