ANATIDZ. Si 
still escape, so small an object as the bill of a bird 
being difficult to distinguish at any considerable 
distance, especially if the bird happens to get just in 
the glare of the sun upon the water: of course in 
rough weather the difficulty in seeing the bill of the 
bird is considerably increased. In no other way 
can I account for their sudden disappearance ; just 
when I have almost been in the act of putting out 
my hand to take a wounded bird into the boat there 
is a splash and a dive, and sometimes the bird is 
/ hever seen again: it certainly does not die under 
water, or it would rise to the surface and be easily 
seen. ' 
The food of the Goldeneye seems to consist of 
small fish, shell-fish, small frogs and spawn, aquatic 
insects of various sorts and larve, also the roots, 
buds and seeds of aquatic plants. It seems to have 
a tolerably good appetite; for, speaking of this bird, 
a correspondent of the ‘ Zoologist’ says he found in 
the stomach of one, nine young eels, forty-eight 
Lymnea peregra, three Lymnea stagnalis (two well- 
known species of fresh-water shells), six caddis- 
worms, an enirée of fresh-water shrimps, with 
fixings of earth-worms, larve of gnat, larve of 
dragon-fly, and grit. Grit and small sand are often 
found in the stomachs of these birds, probably 
swallowed with the food; larger stones are also 
found,—these probably are swallowed for the pur- 
pose of assisting digestion. 
