Nesting of the Ruddy Duck. 
BY WE Gr. SMITH, LOVELAND, COLORADO. 
Although the Ruddy Duck ( Erismatura 
rubida ) is quite common here during the breed- 
ing season, but very few of them undertake the 
burden and responsibility of housekeeping, as 
they prefer to drop their eggs on a muskrat 
mound, or in the water when they cannot entice 
one of the few good housewives of their own 
variety from home long enough to leave them a 
legacy in the shape of an egg. 
I once found a nest witli three eggs which on 
the si 
only arrangement by which the birds could 
cover them. 
The Ruddys were very shy and it was 
difficult to see the parents, as on approach- 
ing their nest they would quietly slide off 
and swim through the tules, without mak- 
ing any perceptible noise. They would 
not rise from the water, even when a gun 
was fired, if there were any tules in which 
they could hide themselves. On visiting 
the lagoon in August, I surprised several 
families away from the tules, in which the 
parents invariably sought shelter, leaving 
their young to look out for themselves. 
They were unable to fly but could swim 
and dive well, and it was amusing to see 
them attempt to hide behind each other. — 
A. M. Inaersoll, Alameda , Cal. 
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The Marsh Hawk and Its Eggs. 
PART II. 
Darly and authentic mention has been 
madebtlarge sets of eggs of Circus hud- 
sonius. Bbtthe reference on Page 115 of 
Brewer’s N. AIik Oology (Smithsonian, 
1858,) to clutches olNqleven, twelve and 
thirteen, with their misty aato, may now 
be dismissed from the record. t-kune ac- 
count of a nest of seven can be fountkqn 
the O. and O., Page 14, Yol. VI. Last 
year, in his fresh Northwestern field, Capt. 
Bendire took a set of seven plain eggs. 
The same season, I took an extreme set of 
seven covered with showy markings. May 
14, 1882, the nest had four eggs, and it lie! 
seven fresh eggs when taken, May 21. The 
three added eggs were bluer th#n the 
others, but the first part of the jtfutch had 
the best markings. These jftfere not the 
mere “accidental deposffig^of lymph,” re- 
ferred to by the late fir. Brewer as liable 
to appear on all plain eggs. But they pre- 
sented a good .superficial design and the 
cloudy sub-shell coloring seen on average 
sets of Rdd-shouldered Hawks. May 20, 
1883, jsficured another set of five nicely 
led eggs from this pair of Hawks. In 
