WATER FOWL OF INDIA AND ASIA. 33 
and July, but never eggs. The bird breeds either 
on the ground in long grass or bushes or among stones, 
or in holes and stumps of trees, most frequently the 
latter. Mr. Hume thinks it probable they breed in 
rocks withus. Theeggs are buffy-white, and from seven 
to twelve in number. 
The Goosander is very voracious ; a captive bird I 
had under observation devoured no less than forty fish, 
about two inches long, at a meal. No “ castings ’”’ 
were found, but bones and all were digested as by a 
Cormorant, and the excreta were semi-fluid and very 
foetid. The stomach of this bird proved to be soft 
throughout, not hard and muscular likea Duck’s gizzard. 
The teeth must be very useful in retaining fish, as the 
bird has no particular power of grip in the bill compared 
with other fish-eating birds, such as Cormorants. 
The Goosander is said to be fair eating if stewed 
with rich sauce—a thing worth knowing, as it often 
occurs Where no other Duck is found. 
The Red-breasted Merganser. 
Merganser serrator, BLANFORD, Faun. Brit. Ind., 
binds, Vol. -1V, p: 470: 
VERNACULAR NAMES.—None known. 
This Merganser is a smaller bird than the Goosander, 
but has a longer and narrower bill, with more teeth, and 
less hooked at the tip. The sexes differ structurally in 
just the opposite way to those of the other species, the 
male Merganser having a long straggling double crest, 
consisting of an upper and lower portion, and the 
female a shorter one. The male of this species resem- 
bles in general the male Goosander in colour and mark- 
-ings, with the following noteworthy differences :—The 
back is more black, the breast is reddish brown with ill- 
defined black streaks ; the whole front edge of the 
4 
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