CHAPTER IV 



DUCK-SHOOTING {CONTINUED') 



THE MERGANSERS 



{MergincB) 



The mergansers are a small group of eight or 

 ten species, living chiefly in the northern hemi- 

 sphere, but occurring also in most of the world. 

 Their food is almost entirely fish, which they 

 follow and catch under the water. As a conse- 

 quence they have a long and cylindrical bill with 

 pointed " teeth " along the sides and a sharp hook 

 on the end. Their feet are webbed, but they dif- 

 fer from the river-ducks in having a small mem- 

 branous flap on the hind toe. They have short 

 legs, long necks, a crested head, and pointed wings, 

 and are swift fliers and capital swimmers and 

 divers. In consequence of their fish diet, their 

 flesh is strong and poor for food, although they 

 are eaten in some localities. The males are 

 handsome birds of brightly colored plumage, — 

 our own hooded merganser being, on the whole, 

 the most beautiful of the group. They frequent 

 the lakes and rivers, and the bays of the coasts, 

 seldom occurring in the centre of large bodies of 



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