586 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 
One nest observed, was rather odd in its location. It was 
built in a bunch of low bush willows growing in tall grass in the 
edge of a slough. The willows and grass supported the sides 
of the nest, the lower part of which rested in the water. 
There seems to be considerable range in the time of nesting. 
The first nest was found on May 23, and contained seven fresh 
eggs ; the last nest, containing eggs, was found on July 2 and 
five of the six eggs it held were chipped and about to hatch. 
E'ggs but slightly incubated were taken as late as June 21. The 
number of eggs found in a nest was from five to eleven. Only 
one nest contained as many as eleven, the majority containing 
six or seven. 
The eggs of the Oanvas-back are oval, slightly larger at one 
end. The surface is smooth. In color, they are very light 
green or bluish green. Of forty specimens measured, the sizes 
vary from 2.31 to 2.60 long; and from 1.63 to 1.83 broad. The 
average size of these specimens is 2.53x1.12. 
149. Lesser Scaup Duck. 
Ay thy a afftnis (Eyt.). 
The Lesser Scaup or Blue-bill as it is commonly called, is a 
common duck in this region. The nest of the Blue-bill is usually 
situated on the ground, near a marshy place or slough. A de¬ 
pression is made in the sod and lined with grass and a little 
down. 0 ! ne nest observed was situated on a mound, probably 
an old ant-hill, about nine inches above the surrounding prairie. 
It was only a few feet from a trail and the bird left the nest 
every morning, for a period of several days, as one of the settlers 
passed on the trail. The nest was about two rods from the edge 
of a slough, bordered by bush willows. The bird was taken 
that the identity might be certain. On June 20 the nest con¬ 
tained eleven eggs sightly incubated. The hollow, lined with 
a little grass and down, was eight inches in diameter and two 
and one-half inches deep. Grass growing on the mound bid 
the nest from view. 
The eggs of the Lesser Scaup Duck are elliptical in shape 
and of an olive-gray or buff color. The average size of the 
eleven eggs taken from the nest, described above, is 2.29x1.60. 
