join them it was noted that one young in each of two broods swam
in a direction Opposite to that taken by the remainder that kept to-
gether in a tight bunch

On the evening of July 17, in a backwater of the Bulkley River,
a female and brood of 10 half grown young were detected swimming
along the Shore close to the base of a low bank. They swam in
single file, the female leading, and maintained this formation while
they travelled Slowly for about 200 yards. Suddenly there was an
explosion of activity as a horned owl launched out from the cotton-
woods on the opposite shore and attempted to seize one of the ducks.
The young scattered and disappeared in a cloud of spray; the female
rushed across the water then swam about quacking vigorously.

When Keefe Lake was first visited, on August 4, it was seen
that the few duck broods present, excepting two of flying mallards
and one of six nearly full grown Barrow golden-eye, were unusually
small. A baldpate had four, a lesser scaup duck, four, and a white-
winged scoter only one young. All these were judged to be between
two and three weeks old. In addition a female buffle-head, appar-
ently adult, was without a brood. It seemed evident that the small-
ness of the broods was the result of predation, perhaps by a marsh
hawk, the only predator observed in the vicinity. During the follow-
ing five days the female lesser scaup duck and a number of young
ducks, including the four baldpate, disappeared. On August 10 it
was observed that the female baldpate had apparently adopted the
two remaining young lesser scaup ducks. At any rate she swam
beside them and was as assiduous in their defense--flapping across
the water and performing other actions characteristic of the female
and brood relationship--as she had been earlier in defense of her
own young.

Shoveller--Spatula clypeata (Linnaeus ).

Four males on a flooded meadow at Dragon Lake, May 6, and a
male and two females on the expansion of Puntataenkut Creek, May
31, are the only records

Ring necked Duck--Aythya collaris (Donovan).

Present in small numbers on many of the lakes visited, Five
or six males were conspicuous on Puntataenkut Creek, May 15, and
on May 31 two pair and three apparently unmated females were seen
there At Dale Lake, June 30, ten adult males were on open water

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