304 THE SAWBILLED-DUCKS 



had missed the errant youngster and had been an interested spectator 

 of its rescue. When once on open water the young broods tend to 

 get mixed together, so that it is not uncommon to see one duck in 

 charge of a small fleet of youngsters some thirty or forty in number. 

 In August and September, on Lough Erne, the late Major Trevelyan 

 found that packs of from fifty to three hundred young birds might be 

 met with, generally accompanied by a single adult bird, and in October 

 a pack estimated at over five hundred strong was seen, but by Novem- 

 ber they had all left the lake and taken to the sea. During the winter 

 the old males keep apart from the females and immature birds. In 

 conclusion, it maybe said that it is as expert a diver as the goosander, 

 raising its body and plunging gracefully in head first. It may be seen 

 at times in shallow water feeding with stern uppermost, like the 

 surface-feeders, 1 but more usually swims with head submerged till its 

 prey is sighted, when it dives without taking breath. The habit of 

 bringing all food to the surface to be swallowed leads occasionally to 

 piracy on the part of the greatbacked-gull. 2 



THE SMEW 



The smew is comparatively a rare winter visitor to our country, 

 and our information as to its breeding-habits is exceedingly scanty. 

 The story of how John Wolley gradually ascertained the main facts 

 of its nesting habits has been so frequently repeated that it need only 

 be referred to here. Full particulars of the discovery are to be found 

 in the Ootheca Wolleyana and the fourth edition of Yarrell. The natural 

 breeding-site of this species is like that of the goldeneye, in a hollow 

 of some tree near the water's edge, but it is often tempted to nest in 

 the boxes put up by the Finns for this purpose. Here the eggs, 

 usually from 5 or 6 to 9 in number, exceptionally even 10, are laid 



1 See H. A. Macpherson in A Fauna of the N.- W. Highlands and Skye, p. 253. 

 J Cf. G. Bolam, Birds of Northumberland and the Eastern Borders, p. 416. 



