36 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. xv. 



with the thermometer down to 20°, I watched one male of 

 this species thus entertaining four females ; and when, as 

 frequently occurs, a number of individuals of both sexes 

 happen to be present, the spectacle of several drakes going 

 through these strange contortions, whilst the ducks solemnly 

 bow their approval, is ludicrous in the extreme. 



Though the habit of lying more or less prone upon the 

 water is common to most females of the Anatidae when they 

 desire to pair, the duck Goldeneye carries this performance 

 beyond all normal bounds ; her behaviour on such 

 occasions being, indeed, scarcely less amazing than that of 

 the drake. With neck outstretched and her body quite 

 limp and apparently lifeless, she allows herself to drift upon 

 the surface exactly after the manner of a dead bird. When 

 first I witnessed this manceuvre I was completely deceived, 

 for she remained thus drifting towards the shore, and with 

 the male swimming round her for fully fifteen minutes before 

 actual pairing took place. This occurred on February 2nd, 

 1920, a beautiful spring-like day, the whole of that month 

 being unusually mild and sunny. 



With the exception of the Harlequins, whose southward 

 journey is more dependent on the weather than is the case 

 with other species, the Goldeneyes were always the last of my 

 winter visitors to arrive, and the first to depart — November 

 2nd and April 21st being the earliest and latest dates noted 

 in my records. Of powerful, whistling flight, they would 

 come into my bay in small flocks, seldom exceeding seven or 

 eight in number, the adult males in the proportion of four to 

 seven of the females and immature birds, the two latter being 

 difficult to distinguish owing to the similarity of their plumage. 

 The Goldeneye feeds close to the shore, and does not travel 

 far under water, as is the case with some members of this 

 family. Though well disposed towards their neighbours, 

 the males fight a good deal amongst themselves, the usual 

 method of attack being for the antagonist to dive and rise 

 to the surface beneath its victim, thus taking the latter by 

 surprise. 



Another duck, quite plentiful in the North Pacific during 

 the winter months, is the Red-breasted Merganser, the adult 

 male being, in my opinion, one of the most handsome birds 

 on the British List. Arriving towards the end of October, 

 it is the last of my winter visitors to depart, a fact due, no 

 doubt, to its being a permanent resident in many parts of 

 the district. In common with the Goldeneye, it also spends 

 much of the winter season in love-making, though its method 



