22i2 DUCK SHOOTING. 



Farlane found it also breeding on the Anderson River, 

 in the far North. The nest is reported to be closely 

 similar to that of the black duck, and the parent often 

 lines it with down plucked from her breast. 



Like the preceding species, the red-breasted mergan- 

 ser is a tough and hardy bird, well fitted to endure our 

 northern winters, and not proceeding southward so 

 long as there are any open waters in which it can gain 

 a livelihood. It spends much of its time on the salt 

 water and associates more or less with the winter sea- 

 ducks of the New England coast, but more perhaps 

 with the whistlers than with others. 



The red-breasted merganser feeds altogether on fish, 

 and for this reason has no value whatever as a table 

 bird. Mr. D. G. Elliot, in his excellent work on North 

 American Wild Fowl, gives a graphic description of 

 their fishing, which is well worth reproducing. He 

 says : "When engaged in fishing, by their rapid diving 

 and manoeuvring beneath the waters, they cause the 

 small fish — if the schools are of any size — to become 

 widely scattered, and many rise close to the surface. 

 The gulls take advantage of such opportunities, and 

 pounce upon their luckless finny prey from above, and 

 then, with ducks diving into the depths and gulls 

 plunging from above, the scene is a very lively one. I 

 remember on one occasion watching a number of this 

 merganser engaged in fishing in a cove, when their 

 movements attracted to them a large flock of Bona- 

 parte's gull (Larus Philadelphia), which hovered over 

 the ducks for a moment and then began to plunge head 



