340 



AVES 



is the male mandarin duck. Diving birds can remain under water 

 about one minute. Eider ducks are natives of the north and are the 

 best known and most valuable of the duck family. Many eider 

 ducks are slaughtered to secure the much prized breast feathers, 



Fig. 1 86. Pelican. (Courtesy of E. R. Sanborn and N. Y. Zool. Soc.) 



" eider-down." The mergansers^ or fish ducks, differ from true 

 ducks in having more slender bodies, grebe-like necks, and long 

 compressed bills with serrated edges. They are fish eaters and 

 hence not as edible as other ducks, but are much sought by hunters 

 on account of their " quick-get-away." (Figure 187, A^ B, C, D.) 



Order 6. Odontoglossae. — Flamingoes are large, long-legged, 

 long-necked birds with pink plumage. They are good flyers, but 

 are better known as waders. They scoop up fish and shell-fish, 

 straining them out as the water and mud pass through holes in the 

 lower part of their beak. 



Order 7. Herodiones. — Herons, ibises, and storks bear a strong 

 resemblance to one another. The ibis fed on snails in the Nile, 

 and was worshipped. (See Schistosoma, page 77.) The long legs, 

 collapsible necks, and flapping wings of storks are well known to 

 all children. The stork migrates long distances. (See p. 366.) 



