Descriptive List 



57 



As the fresh waters of the North become frozen in autumn, the Mergansers move 

 gradually southward and frequent mainly the large ojjen liodies of our bays and 

 sounds. Feeding, as they apparently tlo, almost entirely upon fish, their flesh is 

 not greatly esteemed for food, and hence the birds are seldom shot by gunners if 

 other fowl are to be found in numbers. This does not appear to be an abundant 

 species in North Carolina. While Pearson was a guest at the Currituck Shooting 

 Club in March, 1904, his host, W. T. Post, of New York, shot a pair of these hand- 

 some birds. For thirty years \It. Post had been shooting in Currituck Sound, but 

 could not recall having previously seen them. The Sheldrake, however, is not so 

 rare in the lower sounds, and may frequently be found in the markets at New Bern. 

 Cairns reported it as not an imcommon spring transient in Buncombe County. 

 H. H. Brimloy secured a female at White Lake, in Bladen County, during Decem- 

 ber, 19 n. 



It has many local names, such as Goosander, Saw-Duck, Saw-Bill, Breakhorn, 

 and Fisherman Duck. 



40. Mergus senator {Linn.). Red-breasted Merganser. 



Ad. cf . — Whole head and throat black, more greenish above; a white ring around neck; a 

 broad cinnamon-rufous band with black streaks on the upper Ijreast and sides of lower neck; lesser 

 wing-coverts, tips of greater ones, secondaries, breast and belly white; rump and sides finely 

 barred with black and white. Ad. 9 and Im. — Top and back" of head grayish Ijrorni washed 

 with cinnamon-rufous; sides of head and throat cinnamon-rufous, paler on throat; rest of 

 underparts white; back and tail ashv gray; speculum white. L., 22.00: W., 9.00; Tar., 1.70; 

 B. from N., l.SO. (Chap., Birds of E. N. A.) 



Range. — Northern p.art of Northern Hemisphere. 



Range in North Carolina. — Chiefl}' coastwise in winter. 



Pig. 32. Red-beeasted Merg.ansee (adult male). 



Slightly smaller than the i:)receding s|)ecies and, to the minds of some, not so 

 richly colored, the common "Fisherman" Duck of our coast may nevertheless lay 

 claim to being a most handsome fowl. Its summer home is in much the same 

 region as the Sheldrake, but, unlike that bird, it makes its nest on the ground. 

 While shooting over brant decoys in Pamlico Sound we have noticed that although 



