KED-BBEASTED MEEGANSEE 155 



the edge of the ebbing tide. On December 16th, 1900, I lay 

 concealed in a drain 011 one of the ooze-flats of the Dublin 

 coast, watching the movements of hundreds of wading-birds. 

 Presently a fine adult male Merganser alighted in a rough 

 and muddy salt-water channel, some thirty yards from 

 where I was crouching. The bird, not perceiving me, 

 slowly moved in the water apparently swimming, but in an 

 erect posture with its body almost completely visible above 

 the surface. Now and then it plunged its head under 

 water and appeared to capture something, but in this 

 position it did not attempt to dive. When mid-stream was 

 almost reached it lowered its body and swam in the ordinary 

 way. Then it made three frantic efforts to dive, and, after 

 much splashing and floundering about, was barely able to 

 submerge its body. Eventually, after a lapse of about 

 a quarter of an hour, it took wing and, rising high, flew 

 out to sea. Leaving my place of ambush I proceeded to 

 the edge of the channel. The water being muddy I could 

 not see the bottom, but on measuring with a piece of stick 

 I found that it was but a few inches in depth. It is 

 therefore obvious that the bird was wading in the water 

 in the erect posture for most of the time, and though a 

 sufficient depth was reached at mid-stream to allow it to 

 swim, even then, the channel was too shallow for diving 

 purposes. To these observations I attach importance, as 

 I have often, on previous occasions, noticed Mergansers 

 standing about the edge of shallow channels, and it is 

 evident that they fish occasionally by wading and plunging 

 their heads under water after the manner of Herons; it 

 may be added that the channel in question abounded in 

 small sand-dabs, eels, and other fishes. 



Food. The Ked-breasted Merganser is almost exclu- 

 sively piscivorous and is destructive in the nesting-season 

 to small salmon and trout. It plunges under water like a 

 Cormorant and swiftly pursues its finny prey. As evidence 

 of its indifference to vegetable diet, it is noteworthy that 

 this bird often breeds round inland waters quite void of 

 aquatic vegetation, and where rough stones and gravel 

 line the beach and floor of the lake. 



Flight. The Merganser is swift and powerful on the 

 wing, and may be seen frequently crossing bays and 

 estuaries at a considerable height in the air. 



Voice. The voice is harsh and guttural, and resembles 

 the syllables, kurr-kurr-kurr. 



