518 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 
The food of the Redbreasted Merganser consists 
of small fish, water beetles,}the larve of insects, 
worms, and sometimes frogs.* Montagu mentions 
having found a bee in the cesophagus of one of these 
birds. 
The adult male is one of the handsomest of our 
British Ducks, most of which it exceeds in size, 
approaching more nearly to that of a small Goose— 
say the Brent. The bill, like others of this family, 
is much serrated. ‘The nail of the upper mandible 
is also much curved downwards; the bill is of a dark 
reddish brown, except the edges, which are of a 
brighter red, the under mandible is wholly red; 
irides red; all the head and the upper part dark 
but shining green, the feathers. on the crown and 
occiput elongated; middle of the neck all round 
white, except a narrow line of black descending 
from the occiput to the upper part of the back, 
which, with the shoulders, is also black; the short 
scapulars white, those more elongated are black; 
before the point of the wing on each side are several 
rouudish white feathers, margined with broad and 
rich velvet-black; point of the wing dark brown; 
small wing-coverts white; great coverts and second- 
aries black at the base, the outer halves white, 
forming with the small coverts three conspicuous 
white bands on the wing; primary quill-feathers 
* Meyer's ‘ British Birds,’ vol. vi., p. 180. 
