248 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



During June Mergansers breed throughout Canada and the northern 

 tier of the United States. Like the Wood Duck they sometimes breed 

 in hollow trees. They have been found at distances varying from 

 fifty to five feet from the ground. The bottom of the hollow in the 

 tree is covered with leaves and grasses, and this is lined with soft 

 down from the breast of the old birds. At other times they conceal 

 their nests in the grass under an overhanging bush. They lay from 

 six to ten eggs which are of a buffy color. 



This duck and the other two Mergansers which constitute the saw- 

 bill group of duck, are called fish ducks because these form a large 

 part of their diet, and thus render their flesh unpalatable. Although 

 they are absolutely worthless as articles of food, thousands of them are 

 shot yearly by sportsmen who will shoot anything that swims or in fact 

 that flies. In the spring and fall "Goosanders" or "Sheldrakes" as 

 they are popularly called are very abundant both in the interior and on 

 the coast, as they are partial to both fresh and salt water. 



In the autumn and winter they assemble in small bands of up to a 

 dozen individuals. Although they appear to be quite social among 

 themselves they do not so often mingle with other species of ducks. 



They are also quite shy in the presence of man, the male birds rather 

 more so than the females. On the land they are quite awkward in 

 their manners, although they can travel at a good rate when forced to. 

 The water is their natural element and they are equally at home either 

 above or below surface. It has been said that when their nest is at a 

 distance from the water they will carry their young in the bill after the 

 fashion of the Wood Duck. 



BIRD ENEMIES. 



When one thinks of all the enemies our birds have to contend with 

 in raising a family it seems really a wonder that we have so many of 

 them to sing, eat insects that would destroy our flowers and grain, and 

 in every way make the world brighter. Think of a small delicate bit 

 of creation like the warblers, trying to sit on the eggs during a wind 

 storm, or worse a hail storm. In the woods there is some protection, 

 but on the prairies where the Horned Lark makes its perfect little cup 

 of grass, lined with grass roots there is no protection from hail, water, 

 skunks, badgers, snakes or the feet of grazing cattle. 



