290 
NESTS AND EGGS OF 
where it can pursue its calling untrammeled by the accidents of winter, 
which are more certain to affect fresh than salt waters. By the sporting 
fraternity it is now called the “ Hairy Head,” an appellation which it fitly 
deserves, for the high, beautifully-rounded and particolored crest which so 
gracefully adorns the head, is rendered more conspicuous in the absence 
of the usual decorations which Flora had so recently lavished upon the 
landscaj)e. 
Like most Sheldrakes, in common with the Ducks and Geese, this 
species depends upon the water for the principal portion of its food. Con- 
sequently, it spends considerable time in swimming, and being endowed 
with keen sight, is able to discern its prey at some distance below. With 
the possession of this wonderful faculty, it unites great skill and nicety of 
address. Its movements upon the glassy liquid surface are performed with 
silence and gracefulness, so as not to produce undue alarm to the finny 
tribes and creeping things that dart hither and thither, or crawd their 
slimy lengths along the oozy or pebbly bottom ; and the stroke of the 
head, when one has crossed its line of vision, is as rapid and unerring as 
the swift motion of the Heron when he deals the death -giving blow to 
some luckless reptile that has just emerged from its quiet retreats. In the 
case of the Sheldrake, it is not merely the head and neck that are im- 
mersed, but often the entire body receives the watery bath, especially when 
the game is out of ordinary reach. These baths are enjoyed; for no sooner 
has the bird arisen with its feathers glistening in the sunlight like gem- 
bedecked armor, than, with one slight ruffle, the jewels are dashed to 
pieces, and it is ready again. Fish, small crabs, molluscs, seaworms, rep- 
tiles, and such like creatures as dwell in water, are eagerly hunted and 
eaten. On the dry land, beetles, grasshoppers and lepidoptera contribute 
their share to its varied and voluminous memi. 
When the spell of winter has been broken, and thousands of small 
birds are wending their way northward in April, the Sheldrakes catching 
the contagion of migration, leave their winter haunts, and following the 
great arteries of our continent, slowly journey northward. After a little 
