VOL. XV.] SOME NOTES ON DIVING DUCKS. 35 



were to the human eye many other equally suitable feeding- 

 grounds within a few yards of the favoured spot. 



When disturbed by man, diving Ducks always prefer to 

 rely upon their wing-power as a means of escape, provided 

 they receive sufficient warning, and it is only when hard- 

 pressed or when taken by surprise that they seek refuge 

 beneath the water. When attacked by smaller foes, how- 

 ever, they promptly dive. Next to man, the worst enemy 

 of diving Ducks is undoubtedly the Gull — on the North 

 Pacific coast, the American Herring-Gull (L. argentatus smith- 

 sonianus), and the Glaucous-winged Gull (L. glaucescens) . 

 Ever on the look-out for some savoury trifle, the sly marauder 

 marks down the duck and having watched it dive, hovers 

 in the vicinity awaiting events. When, as frequently happens, 

 its victim reappears from the depths with a plump fish in 

 its bill, down swoops the Gull on to the duck's back the 

 moment it reaches the surface, compelling it, by the very 

 suddenness of the onslaught, to yield up the dainty morsel 

 and seek safety beneath the waves. 



Of all the varied phases in the life-history of a bird, perhaps 

 the most fascinating and, in many cases, the most difiicult to 

 observe, is its mode of courtship. In the case of many species, 

 especially among the Anatidae, the male bird will display 

 to the female during almost any month in the year, and I 

 have spent many hours during the coldest days of winter 

 watching my aquatic visitors when thus engaged. Though 

 a certain amount of bobbing and dipping of the head is, of 

 course, characteristic in the courtship of ducks, close observa- 

 tion will reveal very distinct variations of this manoeuvre 

 in different species. The most acrobatic display that I have 

 ever witnessed is that of the male Goldeneye {Bucephala 

 clangiila). With a terrific jerk — sufficient, one would suppose, 

 to dislocate its neck — the head is thi-ust upwards to the full 

 extent of the neck, with the bill closed, then bent sharply 

 backwards until the tip of the upper mandible touches the 

 tail. The next second, and with equal force, head and neck 

 are jerked forward again to the normal position, with bill 

 agape, the bird uttering at the same moment a loud squeak, 

 not unlike the sound produced by the creaking of rusty hinges, 

 and splashing the water behind it by the force of the con- 

 vulsion. The whole performance occupies but two seconds, 

 the female in the meantime merely dipping her head, a poor 

 acknowledgment, one would think, of so strenuous an exhibi- 

 tion. Such displays might be seen on most calm days during 

 the winter. On December loth, 1919, a bitterly cold day, 



