THE MERGANSERS 243 



rapidity with which these birds dive from the air is 

 most remarkable and a hawk would hardly catch one. 



THE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER 



This bird is also known as the sheldrake, fish-duck, 

 saw- and spike-bill, and is seen more frequently on the 

 salt water than is the preceding species. It is very 

 common on the brackish bays and on the rivers that 

 flow to the sea. 



This merganser is found throughout North Amer- 

 ica, and like the others builds its nest in trees. It 

 feeds exclusively on fish, and Elliot describes it getting 

 under them and driving them to the surface, where 

 the gulls pounce upon them and between the two 

 large numbers of small fish are destroyed. 



I have shot them several times over decoys on Shin- 

 necock Bay when the broad-bills were not flying well, 

 and one day made quite a large bag. The birds were 

 nearly all females, however, and I could not account 

 for this at first, but it was in the spring of the year 

 and my decoys were all painted to represent the hand- 

 somer males and this no doubt accounted for my bag- 

 ging only females. 



The wife of the bayman at whose house I dined 

 when at the bay, made a very palatable stew of the 

 mergansers, putting in potatoes, onions, and perhaps 

 other vegetables, of which I partook with satisfaction 

 after long days of exposure on the bay. As the ducks 

 come in fewer numbers more attention is paid to this 

 bird, and as a mark it answers every purpose and often 

 affords good shooting. 



