THE EED-BREASTED MERGANSER. 167 



Mr. Yarrell does not mention any breeding-haunt of this species 

 in England either at the present or any former period. Scotland 

 and its islands, however, have always been known as resorted 

 to for the purpose of nidification, and we hud both the fresh- 

 "water and marine loughs of Ireland to be so. Pennant mentions 

 this bird as breeding in the island of Islay, which it does 

 at the present time. When there, in January 1S49, several, 

 among which were adult males, came under my notice — I learned 

 that a pair bred in the preceding summer near the sea-beach of 

 the island, at Ardimersy, but that they do not nidify about the 

 little inland fresh-water lakes, or tarns, in at least the south-east 

 portion of the island. They are called grei) divers. Numbers 

 breed annually on the marine islets off Islay, laying from ten to 

 twelve eggs. 



The late Mr. G. Matthews informed me, on his return from 

 the coast of Norway, that a species of Merg\is {M. senator most 

 probably, from description) was seen in numbers at Bergsfiord in 

 September and October. Several were shot there, and, though 

 tame and easily approached, they generally, unless killed dead, 

 escaped by diving, having, as was remarked, ''the power appa- 

 rently to remain under water for ever. The manner in wliich 

 they out-manoeuvred us gave us some hearty laughs.''^ Captain 

 May was told during his sporting tour in 1849, before alluded 

 to, that — " the Quiins, who live along the banks of the Alten in 

 Norway, make boxes and place them in the birch-trees at the 

 river-side for the mergansers to lay in, and when a good number 

 of eggs have been deposited, they rob the nests." The Mergns 

 merganser, or goosander, may, however, here be meant, as it is 

 well known to build in trees in Scandinavia. A statement just 

 similar to that given, but in reference to the golden-eye duck, has 

 been contributed by Mr. Dann to Mr. Yarrell's work. 



North America, as well as Europe, claims this very handsome 

 species. 



