154 BIRD WATCHING 



and, as he comes right into the shallow inlets, where 

 the water almost laps the shore, he can often be 

 watched thus gliding in rapid pursuit. Though I saw 

 all his turns and efforts, I never could see either the 

 fish or the capture of it — supposing that this took 

 place. If it did, the fish must each time have been 

 swallowed, or at least pouched, beneath the surface, 

 as the bird never emerged with one in his bill. There 

 are, of course, several different species of merganser 

 and goosander. I cannot be quite sure of the iden- 

 tity of the bird which has given rise to these observa- 

 tions — I think it was the red-throated merganser — 

 but, no doubt, the ways and habits of all the species 

 are either identical or nearly so. 



It is interesting to find the little dabchick of our 

 ponds and streams diving sometimes in the manner 

 of the shag and cormorant, though, of course, 

 tempered with his own little soft individuality. I 

 have this note of him, taken in the frost and snow of 

 a cold December day whilst he sported in his little 

 creek just a few feet in front of me. " He gives a 

 little leap up in the water, making a graceful curve, 

 a pretty little curl, as he plunges. One sees the curve 

 of his back — which is something — as he spring-glides 

 down. The action is that of the cormorant, but, 

 rendered by himself, made dabchicky. Of course he 

 is in the water all the time ; he does not shoot right 

 out of it. There is far less power and energy. It is 

 a star-twinkle to a lightning-flash, a floss ringlet to a 

 bended bow." And again : " He is diving now very 

 prettily, with a graceful little curled arch in the air 

 before going down." 



I say that the dabchick sometimes dives like this, 



