AMERICAN MEBGANSEB 81 



The narrow bill with its sharp horny "teeth" and hooked tip, 

 and the crest on the back of the head, help to distinguish the mer- 

 gansers from otlun- kinds of ducks. The American Merganser, about 

 the size of the ^Mallard, is the largest of the fish ducks or sawbills. It 

 can be distinguished from the Red-breasted Merganser, the only one 

 with which it is likely to be confused, by the position of the nostrils, 

 which are nearer the middle of the bill than the base (see figs. 5 to 8). 

 In the field the male American can be distinguished by the shorter, 

 single crest and the absence of a reddish brown band across the breast. 

 The females and young of the two species are difficult to tell apart 

 at any great distance. 



The sawbills are excellent swimmers and divers, and are able not 

 only to pursue their prey under water but to remain beneath the 

 surface for considerable periods of time, even as much as one or two 

 minutes. When wounded, they have been known to dive to the bottom 

 and cling to the grass. Eaton (1910, p. 179) states: "On one occasion 

 [in New York] I fired into a flock of Sawbills at close range, bringing 

 down four of the bii'ds, but all of them plunged into the water like so 

 many stones, and only one of them ever so much as gave me a glimpse 

 of himself again." The small mark which the birds present when 

 swimming and their ability in diving makes them hard to shoot, and, 

 like the grebes, they are popularly said to be able to "see the shot 

 coming. ' ' When rising from the water they, like the mud-hens, patter 

 along the surface with their feet for some distance before gaining 

 sufficient impetus to rise in the air. Once well started they are swift 

 fliers. 



Most of the migrant birds of this species found in California breed 

 in the far north, in British Columbia and Alaska, although some have 

 been found breeding along the larger streams and lakes of the Sierras. 

 C. H. Townsend (1887, p. 193) says. "This sheldrake breeds 

 regularly on the lower McCloud [Shasta County], where it is present 

 the year round. Young birds in the down were obtained on May 21, 

 and several flocks of young were seen on Eagle Lake [Lassen County], 

 late in June. Fish ducks were not observed elsewhere than on the 

 larger mountain streams and lakes." Sheldon (1907, p. 185) records 

 having seen two or three broods at Eagle Lake, Lassen County, and 

 a young one was collected in June, 1905. Law (19125, p. 42) reports 

 this bird as nesting commonly at Lake Tahoe. A female followed by 

 eighteen or twenty young was noted there on June 24, 1911, and 

 several pairs and a female with six young on June 28. A. K. Fisher 

 (1893a, p. 15) says: "A flock of a dozen or more sheldrakes was 

 seen at Soda Springs (locally known as Kern River Lakes), in the 

 Sierra Nevada the first week in September, and a specimen [was] 

 shot there by Mr. Bailey August 15. . . ." Evidence obtained by a 



