THE REDBREASTED-MERGANSER 301 



it shows remarkable boldness, it is on the whole an extraordinarily 

 wary bird, which is the more surprising as it is little shot at, on account 

 of the unpalatable nature of its flesh. Except for a siesta in the middle 

 of the day, when small parties may be observed sunning themselves 

 not far from the water's edge, and during the incubation period, it 

 is rarely seen on land, and seems to spend almost its whole life on 

 the water. It can, however, progress on land with considerable speed, 

 but, like the goosander, raises its body to a half upright attitude owing 

 to the backward position of the feet. 



Very little has been written with regard to the courtship of this 

 species in Europe, presumably because it is to a great extent carried 

 on at sea, beyond the breakers, and is in consequence difficult to 

 watch. Naumann, who derived his information from Faber, refers 

 briefly to the remarkable attitudes of the drake, who stretches his 

 long neck vertically upwards, and then lays it flat on the surface of 

 the water, uttering a hollow note. But it is to Dr. C. W. Townsend that 

 we are indebted for a really full and complete account of the courtship 

 of this species. 1 From this we gather that the most complete display 

 takes place when several drakes are showing off before a single duck. 

 The drake begins by stretching up his long neck, thus causing the 

 white neck-ring to appear broader. The bill is then widely opened, 

 and the whole bird stiffly dips as though on a pivot, the breast and 

 lower neck being immersed and the tail and stern swinging upward, 

 while the neck and head pass from a vertical position to an angle of 

 forty-five degrees with the water. When this action is performed at 

 sea, the courting-note is inaudible on account of the surf, but in still 

 water a loud, rough, purring-note may be heard, which Dr. Townsend 

 writes as " da-ah" though he admits that it is probably not susceptible 

 of expression by syllables. 



The love-note and bow may be given twice in rapid succession, 

 at times once only, or once definitely, preceded by a similar but 

 slighter one, and the frequency of its repetition after an interval is 



1 " The Courtship and Migration of the Redbreasted-Merganser," The Auk, 1911, pp. 341-345. 

 VOL. IV. 2Q 



