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Since July 17th I have found many nest containing eggs of the larger ducks, that have been deserted. Most of these nests are floating among the tula grass in from one to three feet of water, and as they are poorly constructed and not being constantly built up, as with the coot, they settle and the eggs sink under water. These nests have had from one to thirteen eggs in them. I believe, if conditions were more favorable and if there were no vermin to molest them, these nests would be on the shore. I find many nests in the sage brush well up on the hills, that appear to have been robbed in most every case. 

Now, too, the ducks, since so many are moulting and do not fly but run over the surface of the water flopping their wings, they are misleading. One often thinks they have young or are young themselves, and, unless one is careful, there will result misleading records. In the rank tula grass around the lake are two great resting places for ducks. They have great beds of the grass beaten down, or most likely it has blown down, and there will be hundreds of them on this, which is generally back in brakes of the grass entirely surrounded. Some will fly out and away, others, that have very shaggy feathers, will run on the water or dive, and both, very often. Most of those secured at such places are matured birds--adults that are merely moulting. 

There are many of the larger ducks here that I am sure have no young, although, doubtless, most of them have laid. They stay in flocks, drifting about from place to place, at times 2 to 3 hundred together. The two eggs F-8/13 are samples of those found in nests with no sign of being occupied. Very likely my presence and constantly cruising about has caused many to abandon their eggs. Shooting does not bother the coot and diving ducks and birds, but it does put most of the ducks on their wings. The large ducks here are all very wild.