LXI. 

 MERGUS SERRATOR. (linn.) 



Red-bkeasted Merganser. 



Mr, Selby informs me, that he and Sir William Jardine 

 found several nests of the Red-breasted Merganser near the 

 margin of one of the lakes in the north of Scotland, the only 

 instance of its breeding in this country, of Avhich I have 

 heard. It is one of the most common of the Duck tribe in 

 Norway. We met with several of them in almost every 

 Fiord, lake, and river, and few of the larger islands were with- 

 out them ; they prefer the neighbourhood of wood, and are 

 most frequent, inland, upon the lakes and rivers, on the 

 wooded borders and little islands of which they make their 

 nests, placing them, for the most part, at the base of some 

 young spruce fir, under the branches of which they are 

 dry and sheltered. One of the nests which we found was, 

 notwithstanding, upon an island, at some distance from the 

 mainland, in a bleak and unsheltered situation ; it was placed 

 amongst the long grass, in a hole scooped in the earth, and 

 forming a most perfect circle ; it was just large enough to 

 contain the eggs, six in number ; the bird, however, some- 

 times lays as many as twelve ; they are most commonly like 

 the one figured, sometimes rather darker, and more inclining 

 to green. Amongst the smaller birds which I have had an 

 opportunity of frequently observing, I have remarked that 

 they lay their eggs early in the morning. I was, therefore, 

 surprised to find that two of the Red-breasted Mergansers 

 which we shot contained hard eggs, ready for laying, as late 

 as eleven o'clock in the forenoon. 



