T.TFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN WILD FOWL. 19 



BeJiavior. — The flight of the shelldrake is lacking in the initial 

 power shown by the black duck. Unlike the latter bird, it can not 

 spring straight up into the air. Rising from the water or ground is 

 indeed always a laborious process, but especially so in calm weather, 

 when there is no wind to oppose its airplanes. There is a noisy flap- 

 ping of the wings and a strenuous pushing away of the water or sand 

 with the feet for some distance before the surface can be cleared. 

 A pair that I disturbed from the beach on a calm day shoY> ed the 

 marks of their feet for 29 yards before they succeeded in getting 

 away from the sand. Once on the vvdng their flight is noiseless and 

 is generally close to the water, differing in this way from that of the 

 golden eye which frequents the same shores, but whicii usually rises 

 to a considerable height. When flying in pairs in the spring, the fe- 

 male generally precedes. It is a rapid swimmer and perfectly at home 

 in the roughest water. As a diver the bird is truly an expert, and it 

 disappears under water with wings close to its sides, making use of 

 its povverful feet alone except on rare occasions when its wings are 

 also brought into play. At times it leaps clear of the surface, describes 

 a graceful arc and enters the water like a curved arrow, while at 

 other times it disappears with scarcely a sign of efi'ort. It often 

 swims with its head and neck stretched out m front, as if it were 

 skimming the water and straining it with its serrated bill for food. 

 Again it advances with the head, all but the crest, below the surface 

 apparently on the lookout for fish, and, at such times, it is con- 

 antly diving. At the moment of diving the crest is flattened dovvn; 

 Avhen the birds swim before a strong wind the crests often blow up 

 and over the head. 



On the land the red-breasted merganser is an awkward walker. 

 It often rests flat on its belly or stands up with its body at an angle 

 of 45°. Again, it stands with its body {parallel with the ground like 

 an ordinary duck. 



The courtship note, or love song, has already been described. 

 This may be heard not only in the spring but occasionally also in 

 the autumn, as in the case of so many, if not all, birds, a phenomenon 

 known as the " autumnal recrudescence of the amatory instinct." The 

 rough croak of the female at this time has also been mentioned. A 

 similar rough croak is emitted by these birds during the breeding 

 season ; I have heard it as they flew back and forth from their nests, 

 and once on a small stream in Labrador, in early August, a female 

 flew close to the water ahead of the canoe croaking hoarsely. She 

 probably wished to entice me away from her young, wliich may 

 have been concealed under the bushes. 



Game. — Although very ''fishy eating" the red-breasted merganser 

 is assiduously hunted along the New England coast. It is a shy 

 bird but comes in well to wooden decoys anchored off points, along 



