THE SOUTHERN MERGANSER 335 



has been commented upon. ]\Ir. Travers says that these birds 

 appear to have been especially endowed with this note in conse- 

 quence of their frequenting certain localities. He found them on 

 Lake Guyon very tame, looking with an appearance of surprise, 

 mixed with a dash of stupidity, at intruders on their privacy, and 

 rarely taking to the wing unless closely pursued, and then only 

 tlying to a short distance. They breed in November and 

 December, and, like the paradise duck, sometimes bring up two 

 broods in the year. In seeking for food, they usually stand on a 

 stone in the middle of some rapid, from which they pick up any 

 stray article of diet w^hich is being carried by; whilst they are 

 also constantly seen busily engaged in searching for food under 

 the water in the rapids. In doing this, they use their wings like 

 hands to cling to the stones in order to assist them in overcoming 

 the rush of the water. They appear to be much attached to their 

 young, but use no stratagem to draw off an enemy, whilst the 

 young merely move from spot to spot to escape danger, rarely 

 diving. 



Family Mcrgidae. 



Bill compressed, without any lamellae on the sides, but with a 

 series of distinct tooth-like serrations on the edges of both 

 mandibles. 



Genus Merganser. 



Serrations of the bill very conspicuous, and inclined backwards 

 at the tips. Northern Hemisphere and Brazil. 



The Southern Merganser. 



Merganser australis. 



Head and neck brown, with a rufous tinge on the throat and lower 

 neck; rest of the body dark grey, with grey and white transverse markings 

 on the breast. Lower abdomen and tail-coverts whitish. Speculum white. 

 Bill dark olive, the base of the lower mandible orange. Legs and feet 

 orange, the webs dusky. Eye almost black. The head is more or less 

 crested. The male has more white on the wing, the abdomen is paler, and 

 the brown on the throat runs further down. In the young, the upper 



