Sept, 1914 SURVEY OF BREEDING GROUNDS O1  DUCKS 229

Shore-birds.--Two or three pairs of Avocets (Recurvirostra americaaa) were seen and one nest was found. This was placed in the middle of a grassy island. Killdeer (Oxyechus vocffers) were common nesters in the vicinity, and a man reported that he had seen several downy young. Around one pond were about fifteen Stilts which behaved as though nesting. TULE LAKE, OREGON AND CALIFORNIA Tule Lake is surrounded by lava beds, and lacks the needed growth of vegetation on its shores 'to make it a favorable nesting ground for ducks. Along the north shore, near the mouth of Lost River, in Oregon, there is some marsh land and a good growth of tules; but on the other sides of the lake sage-covered lava hills rise abruptly from the water's edge. Even under such circumstances; Mallards are reported to nest, selecting sites out in the sage brush away from water. While in this locality, June I to 3, we camped on Fig. 68. NEST OF REDHEAD CONTAINING SIX EGGS OF THIS DUCK AND ONE EGG OF THE RUDDY DUCK (lrismatura amicei$); TITLE LAKE, O; J 2, 1914. ColweH's ranch near Me, Oregon, at the mouth of Lost River. m this pot we were able to work the noah shore  Oregon and the west shore over the Hne in Caoia. An plathos. Mallard. Numbers of MaHar doubted breed along the nohern shore. Several lone males and a few pairs were seen, but no nests or yog were fod. Ma ecana. Redhead. In this vicity Reea appeared to be more common than Mallard. Flocks of seven to ten were often obseed in open places between the tules. A nest newly constcted of een tules con- taed no eg; but several feathe in it were cealy those of a Reead. On Je 2 we fod a Coot's nest which contaed a set of eight eggs of the Coot and one egg of the Reead (see fig. 67). On the same day we fod a nest of a Redhead with six eggs of this duck and one egg of the Ruddy (see fig. 68). The nest was a platfo of dried lt-year's bushes fixed among