248 THE BIRDS OF DEVOX. 



Mr. H. A. Evans, of "Westward Ho ! College, kindly sent the bird to us 

 for examination, and we at once detected it to be a young female Smew. 



The Hooded Merganser is a Xorth-American species, and has occasionally 

 been rc'ijorted as having been obtained in this kingdom, but most of the 

 instances have subsequently proved to be mistakes.] 



Smew. Mergus allellus, Linn. 



[White Xun, White "Wigeon, "White Merganser (adult male), Yare- 

 "\i\'igeon* (female and young male).] 



A winter visitor, of occasional occurrence, from Xovcmber to March, 

 on the South Coast during severe weather ; sometimes penetrating far 

 inland along the course of the larger rivers. Immature birds are most 

 frequently met with, adults being scarce usually, but in January 1801 

 many occurred all over the county. "When in full plumage this species 

 generally occurs in pairs, but we know of cases in which several adult 

 drakes have been seen together. 



In its pretty pied plumage of glossy black and silvery white, and with 

 its particoloured crest of the same contrasted colours, this small species 

 of Merganser is a very conspicuous and beautiful bird. On the estuary 

 of the Taw and Torridge it is not a rare winter visitor, old males in their 

 full adult plumage being more frequently seen than young Ijirds or females, 

 contrary to what is experienced in the south of the county, where adults 

 are rare. The Smew is not an easy bird to shoot, as on the approach of 

 a boat it soon ceases to dive, and rising on wing, escapes with rapid flight. 

 The only way to obtain a shot is to get the bird between the boat and 

 the shore ; it will then sometimes fly across the boat, presenting a 

 chance to the gunner. "We one morning saw six adults swimming 

 together in a little flock at Instow, but could get nowhere near them. 

 Adult drakes have been obtained from time to time on the Barnstaple 

 river ; one was shot during the severe winter of 1890-91, as far up as 

 Tawstock Court. While we resided at "Weston-super-Mare we used 

 occasionally to see examples, in full adult dress, hanging up in the game- 

 dealers shop, which had been shot in the neighbourhood of the town, as 

 well as females and young males. Mr. Cecil Smith records a beautiful 

 drake which was shot on the river Tone, close to Taunton, and several 

 were obtained on the same river during the hard winter of 1891. The 

 Smew is occasionally procured in the winter off the Cornish coast, and is 

 more numerous in the fleets and harbours of Dorsetshire, but adult males 

 are rarely met with. In the winter of 1849-50 Mr. Mansel-Pleydell 

 states that nine were shot in one week in the Portland Koads. 



Well-authenticated eggs of the Smew are rare in collections. The late 

 Mr. John Wolley was the first naturalist who obtained the nest in Lap- 



* In North Devon the Weasel is commonly called a "Yair," pronounced "veer"; 

 in South Devon a " Tare," " Vair," or " Tairj," pronounced " ferry," e^identlv from 

 the French i.a(V=fur ; and, according to Col. Montagu, the Smew has been given the 

 above name because of its Weasel-like head. 



