582 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters . 
139. Green-Winged Tear. 
Anas carolinensis (Xettion.). 
This pretty little duck, though not as common as the Blue- 
winged variety, is by no means scarce. Although a good table 
duck, it is not especially sought after by the hunter because 1 of 
its small size. 
The nest is built on the prairie, usually not far from a slough 
or other body of water. Often a slight knoll is selected, a hol¬ 
low scratched out, and down from the breast of the bird used 
for a lining. A tuft of tall grass or some weeds hides the nest 
from view. The female is a very close sitter especially when 
incubation is far advanced. In one case, a team of horses and 
Wagon was driven over a nest, a horse passing each side of it, 
and the duck flew out between the horses feet. This nest was 
placed at the base of a cluster of raspberry bushes, about thirty 
inches high, and was entirely hidden from view. The nest was 
only a few feet from a field of grain. A hollow had been scraped 
out and lined with small twigs from the berry bush, grass, and 
a layer of down particularly thick about the rim. The nest con¬ 
tained nine eggs which were far advanced in incubation. Two 
pictures of this nest are shown in Plate XLV. 
On two occasions, when the nest was visited late in the after¬ 
noon, the bird was away and the eggs were entirely hidden from 
view by a covering of down and bits of grass. When the bird 
was found on the nest, she would not leave until one approached 
within about three feet of the nest, when she would flutter off 
and fly for a short distance then drop into the grass as if 
wounded. Eggs from this nest measure: 1.70x1.23; 1.7lx 
1.22; 1.76x1.20. The eggs of the Green-winged Teal are of a 
buff or cream color and, probably not distinguishable from the 
eggs of the Blue-wing. 
140. Blue-Winged Teal. 
Querquedula discors (Linn.). 
The Blue-winged Teal is perhaps the most numerous of the 
ducks observed. During the nesting season, single males were 
frequently seen feeding in the sloughs, probably not at a great 
distance from the little wife so> busily engaged in her household 
duties. 1 
