164 ANIMAL LIFE UNDER WATER 



A friend of mine near Ipswich had wild ducks 

 on his farm, and he kindly lent me a pair, which 

 nested on the bank of the observation pond in 

 my garden. The moat at Playford Hall, near 

 by, was full of roach, and these fish attached their 

 eggs to the submerged rootlets of willows which 

 grew all round the moat. I placed several of 

 the rootlets some six inches under the water in 

 my pond, and watched the wild duck strip off 

 the eggs. Their methods were very thorough, 

 for after they had finished not an egg remained. 



Diving ducks, on the other hand, do not 

 confine their attention to ova, and the mergan- 

 ser and the goosander take large quantities of 

 small fish. I once examined four mergansers on 

 the estuary of the River Ore. These birds con- 

 tained as many as fifty small fish apiece. I quote 

 from Seton Gordon their influence on trout and 

 salmon waters : 



"It is only recently that the name of the 

 goosander has been withdrawn from the list of 

 protected birds in a certain county on account 

 of the number of young trout and salmon he 

 deVours, and an experience I had a few days ago 

 would seem to go far to confirm the unfortunate 

 reputation he has gained. On an expedition 



