ry 
13 
my windows almost daily for the past two months. It was evidently moulting, 
having lost several of the flight feathers from both wings, and could only fly 
with difficulty. It had a loose object like a feather standing above its back 
near the tail, and was constantly making frantic efforts to get hold of it, 
racing round and round in a small circle. Two days ago I had a good oppor- 
tunity of watching’ it with glasses close under my windows, and then saw that 
the object on its back was a broken leg, which was very loose and flapped 
about with every movement. The duck was able to get hold of it and fre- 
quently tugged hard trying to get it away. I saw it one day come up from 
three successive dives with a fair-sized green crab in its beak. It slapped 
the crab on the water several times and then swallowed it apparently with- 
out any difficulty. My son watched the same Scoter and in ten dives he 
brought up seven crabs, one of good size, and swallowed them all. One 
would have thought a crab to be a very awkward and unpleasant morsel to 
swallow. The green crab seems to form a considerable item in the food of 
the diving ducks and waders. On December 6th a Black-throated Diver under 
my windows came up with a large crab in its beak, and after slapping it on 
the water, dived still holding the crab. A few years ago, when crossing from 
Holyhead to Dublin, and when the steamer was moving away from the pier, a 
Shag came up between with a large green crab. Although there were only a 
few yards between the pier and steamer the Shag did not seem to mind and 
was vigorously hitting the crab on the water as long as it was in sight. From 
my windows I watched a Curlew wading with the water up to his body and 
with his head and neck immersed, feeling under the stones and seaweed for 
small crabs. A Curlew which I shot on the seashore brought up several small 
crabs which ran off over the sand. Scoters when out at sea are usually very 
shy birds, and fly off at the approach of a boat, but those in the river were 
very tame and were feeding close to the mussel boats. I was struck by the 
large number of males amongst those found dead, only five or six females 
being seen. During the winter we have seen a good number of Black-throated 
and Red-throated Divers and Great Crested Grebes. I caught one of the last- 
named on the shore, which had a broken wing. I put it into the water, 
when it swam off rapidly, but I fear that with such a handicap it will not 
survive long. On December 6th we watched a Great Northern Diver close 
under the windows, the first time I have seen one here. Mr. Coward, in his 
notes in the Courant, mentions having seen one about the same time on one 
of the meres. The most noteworthy fact about this winter has been the large 
namber of Red-breasted Mergansers in the river. It is not a very common 
bird here, a few appearing at intervals during January and February and 
staying only a few days. This winter they came in November and have been 
increasing in numbers since, and are to be seen feeding every day. On Fehb- 
ruary 8th, and again on February 9th, we watched with glasses from our 
windows twelve Mergansers and six ‘Cormorants busy diving in the shallow 
water covering a sandbank. ‘They were having a very good time and seemed 
to get a fish almost every dive, and soon swam over to the sheltered side of 
the river to digest their meal. As there are no codling where they were 
feeding, I think they must have been catching the sparling and sand eels 
which resort to the sandbank for spawning at this time of year. On February 
10th my son counted twenty Mergansers, and they were all keeping in pairs. 
Again, on the 11th, there were twenty. Wigeon, Mallard and Teal have been 
frequenting the mud flats above the junction in hundreds. They have not 
been molested by gunners since the war broke out, so haye increased greatly. 
Except for the usual large flocks of Curlews and Oyster Catchers, waders have 
been very. scarce this winter. A few Turnstones appeared in the autumn, but 
did not remain long. A Grey Plover was seen on February 25th. A pair of 
Ravens have nested on the north-west face of the Orme’s Head near the light- 
house every year, but last year I discovered their nest in a new situation on 
the south-west side, under an overhanging ledge. On June 8th I watched the 
family party of four or five ravens going through the most extraordinary 
evolutions and games. I believe another pair of Ravens breed on the Little 
Orme, but I failed to find the site of their nest. The Peregrines have nested 
