﻿l8o 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  feet 
  reddish 
  orange. 
  Female 
  and 
  immature: 
  Head 
  and 
  neck 
  reddish 
  

   brown, 
  but 
  paler 
  and 
  duller 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  preceding 
  species 
  and 
  more 
  tinged 
  

   with 
  cinnamon; 
  back 
  ashy 
  gra}-, 
  mirror 
  and 
  under 
  parts 
  white. 
  Downy 
  

   young: 
  Upper 
  parts 
  dark 
  hair-brown; 
  spot 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  rump 
  and 
  rear 
  

   border 
  of 
  w^ing 
  yellowish 
  white; 
  cheek 
  and 
  under 
  parts 
  yellowish 
  white; 
  

   sides 
  of 
  head 
  and 
  neck 
  cinnamon 
  ; 
  lores 
  pale 
  with 
  dusky 
  stripe 
  above 
  and 
  

   one 
  l)elow; 
  lower 
  eyelid 
  grayish 
  white. 
  

  

  Length 
  20-25 
  inches; 
  extent 
  30-34; 
  wing 
  8.5-9.45 
  ". 
  tail 
  4; 
  tarsvis 
  1.7-1.9; 
  

   middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw 
  2.6; 
  bill 
  2.2-2.5; 
  gape 
  2.6-2.75; 
  nostril 
  to 
  tip 
  1.65; 
  

   rear 
  of 
  nostril 
  to 
  lore 
  feathers 
  .3. 
  The 
  female 
  the 
  smaller. 
  

  

  The 
  Red-breasted 
  merganser, 
  Sawbill, 
  Indian, 
  or 
  Pied 
  sheldrake, 
  as 
  

   this 
  species 
  is 
  called, 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  ducks 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  

   and 
  on 
  the 
  inland 
  waters. 
  It 
  occurs 
  chiefly 
  as 
  a 
  migrant, 
  appearing 
  after 
  

   the 
  ice 
  has 
  disappeared 
  from 
  our 
  lakes 
  and 
  rivers, 
  and 
  remaining 
  sometimes 
  

   in 
  1aroc> 
  flock's, 
  till 
  late 
  in 
  May 
  when 
  they 
  pass 
  further 
  north 
  to 
  their 
  breeding 
  

   grounds. 
  A 
  few 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  nest 
  in 
  the 
  Adirondacks, 
  but 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   mergansers 
  of 
  that 
  region 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  preceding 
  species. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  

   laid 
  ui^on 
  the 
  ground 
  in 
  a 
  down-lined 
  nest, 
  carefully 
  concealed 
  in 
  the 
  grass 
  

   or 
  brushwood. 
  They 
  are 
  6-12 
  in 
  number, 
  of 
  a 
  buffy 
  white 
  color, 
  slightly 
  

   smaller 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  merganser. 
  

  

  These 
  mergansers 
  are 
  often 
  observed 
  to 
  hunt 
  in 
  company, 
  a 
  large 
  

   flock 
  sometimes 
  advancing 
  w^ith 
  wide 
  extended 
  front, 
  driving 
  the 
  fish 
  before 
  

   them 
  and 
  diving 
  simultaneously 
  so 
  that 
  whichever 
  way 
  their 
  prey 
  may 
  

   dart 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  serrated 
  beak 
  and 
  capacious 
  gullet 
  ready 
  to 
  receive 
  them. 
  

   We 
  have 
  often 
  witnessed 
  exhibitions 
  of 
  this 
  habit 
  on 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  Lake 
  

   Ontario 
  where 
  these 
  birds 
  are 
  very 
  common 
  during 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  April 
  

   and 
  Ma}'. 
  Occasionally 
  a 
  fish 
  is 
  captured 
  which 
  proves 
  too 
  unwieldy 
  to 
  

   handle, 
  and, 
  becoming 
  fimily 
  lodged 
  in 
  the 
  merganser's 
  mouth, 
  brings 
  

   death 
  to 
  its 
  assailant 
  in 
  return 
  for 
  his 
  merciless 
  gluttony. 
  

  

  Mergansers 
  are 
  scarcely 
  fit 
  for 
  food, 
  the 
  flesh 
  being 
  rank 
  and 
  ill 
  -flavored. 
  

   At 
  the 
  sanie 
  time 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  wary 
  and 
  hard 
  to 
  kill, 
  so 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  

   danger 
  of 
  their 
  extermination, 
  their 
  nesting 
  grounds 
  being 
  on 
  the 
  unfre- 
  

   . 
  quented 
  lakes 
  of 
  the 
  boreal 
  zone. 
  Unlike 
  the 
  preceding 
  species 
  this 
  mer- 
  

   ganser 
  is 
  holarctic 
  in 
  distribution, 
  in 
  Ainerica 
  breeding 
  from 
  the 
  Northern 
  

   States 
  to 
  the 
  arctic 
  regions, 
  and 
  wintering 
  from 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  to 
  the 
  

   Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico. 
  

  

  