Page:Condor13(4).djvu/12

 126 THE CONDOR Vol. XIII One set of nine eggs in a beautifully built nest at the side of a neglected road was visited by some animal which had made a small hole in the side of each egg and had sucked the oontents. The Blue-winged Teal are among the last ducks to arrive- from the south in the spring, seldom being seen in any numbers before April first, and the great bulk of the birds arrive about the middle of April. The birds are mated, and the flocks for the most part scattered by the middle of May, and the first signs of nest- lug are usually found during the third week in May. The earliest complete set found by us was a beautiful set of eleven eggs on May 24, 1908. This nest must have been completed and laying begun b.y May 13. The average date for complete sets is about June 1. We fomd complete sets of fresh eggs as late as July 21, from which we infer that a second set is laid when. the first one is destroyed. The Fig. 39. NESTING SITE OF CINNAMON TEAL, SHOWING METHOD OF CONCEALMENT majority of sets watched by us hatched during the third week in June, but two nests were found from xvhich the young had gone by June 8. e tried repeatedly to satisfy ourselves that an egg was deposited each day, and finally on June 11 a nest was found containing one egg, and seven days later the same nest contained eight. The birds were very sensitive to any disturbance of the eggs and on this account we did not dare to handle or touch them, except when absolutely necess- ary. This prevented us from ascertaining whether or not incubation began after the first egg was laid; but from the fact that the entire clutch usually hatches on the same day and the young ones leave the nest as soon as they are dry, it is highly improbable that the female undertakes the duties of incubation until the comple~