Sept., 1913 
UNUSUAL NESTING SITE OF THE MALLARD 
177 
female mallard, “quacking” as she flew rather slowly out through an openrng in 
the trees. She circled about once, then disappeared down the slough. 
I climbed to the nest, eight or nine feet up, and found nine eggs. The re- 
ports were true in every particular. The farmer now left me to my own devices 
and I proceeded to take several photographs. 
The strip of woods at this point was not over thirty or forty yards wide, 
while the nest tree stood some forty feet from the slough bank. It was a shaggy 
old leaning ash, covered witli 
moss, scattering ferns and other 
plants, with dried leaves, sticks 
and rubbish accumulated in vari- 
ous crotches. A large limb 
branching off from the slanting 
trunk, formed a level place 
where dirt and moss had gath- 
ered, making a good foundation 
for the nest, which was simply 
a depression well lined with 
down. 
After making several exposures 
of the nest and eggs, I fastened 
the camera to a nearby limb, with 
a long cord attached to the shut- 
ter. I covered it with moss and 
ferns, arranged the cord along the 
ground, then went away in the 
hopes that the mallard would re- 
turn to be photographed. But 
nearly an hour later I crept up 
carefully, to find that she had 
not been back. Evidently the 
camera was not well enough 
concealed to overcome her sus- 
picions, and, as I feared I had 
already kept her off the nest too 
long, I took down the apparatus 
and left the place. 
On May 3 I went back to see 
if anything further had de- 
veloped. As I neared the tree, I 
could see the head of the mallard 
Fig. 49. Ash Tree, Showing Location OF above the edge of the nest, 
Maetard’s Nest (marked by white cross) watching me intently. I looked 
at her through the field glasses 
and made a sketch of her on the nest ; then tried to get nearer. But the mo- 
ment I began to move up she flew off as before toward the slough. Tlie eggs 
were still there and I could see no disturbance of any kind. 
A pair of crows had seemed quite concerned at my approach. I thought 
the duck’s nest was the center of their interest and they were virtuously calling 
“thief” when they imagined a nest robbery was about to take place. But now' 
T spied their nest in the top of an ash tree not more than forty feet away, and 
