small trout which have been carried down by the rush of water. The bird 

 also destroys immense quantities of salmon fry. I once took eleven good- 

 sized parr from the stomach of a drake which I shot on the Findhorn early 

 in July. 



By the end of March most of the Mergansers have paired and taken up 

 their quarters on some loch or stream. The drake is very attentive to his 

 mate, and both birds keep close company, feeding side by side in the water, 

 sometimes sharing the fish captured, sometimes chasing each other for 

 amusement and diving about in the still water. 



On some of the lochs in the Island of Mull I have spent hours at a time 

 watching these beautiful birds as they paddled daintily along the edge of the 

 shore, searching among the half-covered stones for the tiny fish on which 

 they feed, sometimes coming quite close inshore, sometimes diving and 

 appearing again far out in the open. They swim very gracefully and sit low 

 in the water, the bright plumage of the drake forming a charming contrast 

 to the deep green of the clear water. When suddenly alarmed the Merganser 

 usually dives at once and swims quickly out from the shore under water, 

 reappearing at a considerable distance ; it rises from the water with a considerable 

 splash as a rule, but is a bird of quick and powerful flight, and the loud 

 whistling strokes of its wings are distinctly audible when the bird is some 

 distance off. 



The food of the Merganser is chiefly composed of small fish, occasionally 

 varied with crustaceans, molluscs, and small shell-fish, but, unlike most of its 

 congeners, it does not appear to eat any vegetable matter. Its note is harsh, 

 like that of most of the Diving Ducks, and may be represented by the 

 syllables ' karrr-karrr.' 



About the beginning of May nest-building commences, and eggs are laid 

 from the end of that month till well on in June, even later in more northern 

 localities. The nest is most often placed on some island, and only in very 

 secluded places is it found on the mainland. It is usually under shelter of 

 some kind, either a tuft of grass, broom bush, or overhanging piece of rock. 

 I have even seen it in the mouth of an old rabbit-hole, but in this case the 

 hole was entirely filled up with grass and turf behind the nest. Often it is 

 made among the long heather growing on the shore of some loch, and is 

 generally a mere hollow in the ground lined with a little grass and a few 

 bits of heather and dead leaves. As the full complement of eggs is reached, 

 the duck lines the nest with down plucked from her breast and sides. She 

 sits very closely, and will often allow herself to be touched before she leaves 



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