484 Strong, Red-breasted Merganser. [oct. 



three downy mergansers. The female parent merganser remained 

 on the nest until the writer was within a few feet, before leaving 

 her family. The nestlings seen in this nest and in another exhibited 

 the type of locomotion just described. 



A nest which was found on July 15 contained seven young just 

 hatched and one egg. A companion found the nest and took the 

 writer to it. On our approach, the nestlings began to scatter. 

 All but one were caught and replaced in the nest. During the time 

 which was occupied in makmg several photographs, the young were 

 kept in the nest by a hat which was placed over them. This was 

 removed an instant for each picture. After a few plates had been 

 exposed, the seventh nestling was observed, more than twelve 

 feet away, approaching through a tangle of nettles and other weeds. 

 We stood as still as possible while the little bird came by the most 

 direct route possible towards the nest until it happened to climb 

 on one of the writers's feet where it was captured to be returned 

 to the nest. Presumably these nestlings had never before left 

 the nest. It would be interesting to know how this bird was able 

 to find its way back and why it returned with two men in plain view 

 from whom it had fled in terror a few minutes before. Its nest- 

 mates were not making any noise that the writer could notice. 



The three mergansers were removed with the hen to a pen with 

 ample space for exercise, and the other three eggs were placed 

 under another hen. One of these eggs was broken and the other 

 two hatched, as has been said, on July 25. Though apparently 

 strong, one of the young died on the next day and the other a day 

 later. 



The problem of what to feed the little mergansers was perplex- 

 ing. One caught at the nest (No. 2) on July 12, had no food 

 in its stomach, so nothing was gained by this effort to find what the 

 parents were feeding their young. It is commonly stated that the 

 mergansers are fish-eating birds. According to Morris,^ the Red- 

 breasted Merganser eats small fish, beetles, water insects and their 

 larvae, worms, and frogs. Meyer ^ mentions small fish, water 

 beetles, insect-larvae, worms, and sometimes frogs. It is stated 

 by Jones ^ that the young " When first hatched live upon small 



1 Morris. F. O. A History of British Birds. Vol. 5, pp. 239-242. 



2 Meyer, H. L. British Birds. 



3 Jones, T. R. Cassell's Book of Birds. Vol. III. pp. 173-174. 



