518 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



The food of the Redbreasted Merganser consists 

 of small fish, water beetles,* the larvae of insects, 

 worms, and sometimes frogs.* Montagu mentions 

 having found a bee in the oesophagus of one of these 

 birds. 



The adult male is one of the handsomest of our 

 British Ducks, most of which it exceeds in size, 

 approaching more nearly to that of a small Goose 

 say the Brent. The bill, like others of this family, 

 is much serrated. " The nail of the upper mandible 

 is also much curved downwards ; the bill is of a dark 

 reddish brown, except the edges, which are of a 

 brighter red, the under mandible is wholly red; 

 hides red; all the head and the upper part dark 

 but shining green, the feathers on the crown and 

 occiput elongated; middle of the neck all round 

 white, except a narrow line of black descending 

 from the occiput to the upper part of the back, 

 which, with the shoulders, is also black ; the short 

 scapulars white, those more elongated are black; 

 before the point of the wing on each side are several 

 roundish white feathers, margined with broad and 

 rich velvet-black; point of the wing dark brown; 

 small wing-coverts white ; great coverts and second- 

 aries black at the base, the outer halves white, 

 forming with the small coverts three conspicuous 

 white bands on the wing; primary quill-feathers 



* Meyer's ' British Birds,' vol. vi., p. 180. 



