wood Duck 
Bangor Maine January 4th /ll . 
My dear Mr. Brewster 
Cambridge Mass. 
Referring to our conversation in regard to wood Duck and 
their habits. 
iV I have hunted for the past thirty years more or less along the 
Columbia River Bottoms below Portland Oregon in the neighborhood of 
which great quantities of Wood Duck breed in timber lands of the foot¬ 
hills along the river. I had often heard the statement that the young 
were brought down to the water from their nests in the hollow trees on 
the backs of the old birds and it was my fortune to see this done one 
day in July during I £95 when I was doing some surveying in Columbia 
County Oregon. We were at luncheon close to the edge of a small lake 
or pond when two Wood Duck ( male and female^ skimmed close past us to 
the water with their young on their backs,the little ones holding on 
by their claws and bills. They were unable to bring them all at once 
and the male stayed with those brought and the female left soon bring¬ 
ing down the balance. The moment the old birds struck the water the 
little ones took to the water in the proverbial manner.' 
Very truly yours 
David Loring. 
