128 
THE CONDOR 
Vol. XIII 
attention from her charges, while the youngsters, instead of scurrying to shelter 
seemed rather to enjoy the anxiety of the mother and the excitement of our in- 
trusion. 
The young birds learn to fly very slowly, and the shameful slaughter of 
“flappers” (as the young are called when unable to fly) upon the opening of the 
hunting season September 10, is another testimonial of the legislative farce of game 
laws framed by politicians. 
cixN.\.MON TR.\i, ( Qucrquedida cyauoptcra ) 
Owing to the strong resemblance between females of the Blue-wing and Cinna- 
mon Teal, and the rapidity with which they left the nests when flushed, it was 
extremely difficult to identify the birds as they took flight. We were consequently 
much handicapped in our study of the Cinnamon Teal, and the total number of 
nests positively identified as belonging to this species was only four, although we 
undoubtedly examined many others belonging to this species without being able to 
identify the parent beyond doubt. 
This small amount of data is altogether insufiicient to warrant any general 
.statements, but in the four nests examined we were unable to detect any radical 
dejiartures from the habits already attributed to the Blue-wings except that two 
of the four ne.sts were in very wet locations, where the eggs were in constant 
danger of becoming damp. These two nests were practically devoid of the downy 
lining while the other two nests, which were built in perfectly dry locations were 
warmly lined with down. The handsomest nest of the four, which was one of the 
nests on wet ground, was figured in the Condor (Vol. XI no. 4, page 112.) and 
contrasts sharply with the one shown in the accompanying cut, which is one of 
those in a dry location. 
One of the nests was on dry prairie fully one hundred feet back from the 
shore of the lake amid a fairly thick growth of weeds and grass. This nest which 
was found May 30, 1908, was well built and warmly lined with dowm, and the 
bird was quite fearless. We watched the nest closel}^ and on June 19 were sur- 
prised to find that seven of the young birds had pecked through the shell, but had 
died before clearing the shell around their heads. The other four eggs contained 
perfectly formed dead embryos which had not begun to pip the shells. 
The male birds, how^ever, in their brilliant cinnamon coats w'ere very conspicu- 
ous and we were occasionally able, through their actions, to connect them with the 
nests we had under examination. 
Male Cinnamon Teal were common throughout May and continued to increase 
in number until June first, and during this month they were .seen in large numbers. 
In fact we arrived at the conclusion that they were breeding throughout the Barr 
district in probably half the numbers that the Blue-wings were, and we regretted 
exceedingly that the peculiar resemblance betw'een the two species prevented us 
from gathering sufficient information to establish any peculiarities in nesting habits 
that might exist, but this would only have been possible by collecting an extensive 
series of the birds as they flushed from the nests; a proceeding which we considered 
altogether unwarranted. 
