28 BULLETIN 126, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



hand and a correct eye to kill them on the wing, and the gunner must be ever mind- 

 ful of the good old adage in duck shooting, "Hold well ahead." It rises from the 

 water without any preliminary mol ions, and is on the wing at once, and in full flight, 

 the pinions moving with a rapidity that almost creates a blur on either side of the 

 body, the outline of the wing disappearing. 



Dr. P. L. Hatch (1892) s&js: 



Once in January, 1874, when the mercury had descended to 40° below zero while 

 a north wind was blowing terrifically, I saw a flock of six of this species flying directly 

 into the teeth of the blizzard at their ordinary velocity of not less than 90 miles an 

 hour. The compactness of their flocks of hall a dozen to 15 in their flight is charac- 

 teristic, and their directness fully equal to that of the green-winged teal. 



Mr. J. W. Preston (1892) observes: 



A pleasing characteristic of the species is the manner of flying during nesting time. 

 One may see them chasing round and round some wooded lake, speeding ever with a 

 thrilling impetuosity; uttering a peculiar note as they glide along; then they have 

 darted out into the forest, leaving the beholder pleased with the performance, and 

 none the wiser as to the nest site. I timed one of this species, and it made its mile 

 in less than one minute. 



Audubon f 1840) says: '^ When migrating, they fly at a great height, 

 in small loose flocks, without any regard to order." 



Of its swimming and diving habits, Doctor Elliot (1898) says: 



The movements of this bird upon the water are quick and active, and it swims 

 rapidly and dives with great celerity. It is a beautiful object, and few birds surpass 

 the male in attractiveness as he swims lightly along, elevating and depressing his 

 beautiful crest. If suspicious, this species will sink the body until the water is almost 

 level with the back, and sometimes disappears beneath the surface, apparently with- 

 out effort, as if some unseen hand was pulling it down. When wounded it is one of 

 the most difficult birds to secure, and it dives with such quickness, remains under 

 water so long, and skulks and hides with so much skill that it is very apt to make its 

 escape, and always tries tlie patience of its pursuer, whether dog or man, to the utmost. 

 Their progress under water is extremely rapid, and the wings as well as the feet are 

 used as means of propulsion, perhaps more dependence being placed upon the wings, 

 and they may be said to fly beneath the surface. 



The same writer says of its voice: " It utters a hoarse croak like a 

 small edition of the note of the red-breasted merganser." 

 Audubon (1840) writes: 



Their notes consist of a kind of rough grunt, variously modulated, but by no means 

 musical, and resembling the syllables " croo, croo, crooh." The female repeats it six 

 or seven times in succession, when she sees her young in danger. The same noise is 

 made by the male, either when courting on the water or as he passes on wing near the 

 hole where the female is laying one of her eggs. 



Fall. — A study of the migration records will show that the hooded 

 merganser is not an early migrant in the fall, nor is it the very latest; 

 the main flight comes along during the latter half of October and 

 first half of November; the latest stragglers often linger until frozen 

 out. Audubon (1840) gives an interesting account of its behavior at 

 this season, which I quote, as follows: 



At the approach of night, a person standing still on the hanks of such a river as the 

 Ohio first hears the well-known sound of wings whistling through the air, presently 



