THE BUFFLEHEAD 395 
brush and comb, with the same changeable vio- 
let and green sheen to the feathers. 
Formerly a most abundant species here and 
on account of its small size seldom molested by 
the gunners, of late it is very rarely seen, and 
would, in the present scarcity of game, hardly 
receive the consideration which it once enjoyed, 
although its flesh is not so good as it might be. 
It is a wary little bird with much of its larger 
relative’s good sense and caution, like the 
‘‘whistler,’’ setting a sentinel over the flock as 
it feeds, diving at once if alarmed, puttirig a 
safe distance between itself and pursuit before 
coming again to the surface, then instantly tak- 
ing wing and off like a flash. On the seacoast 
they feed contentedly among the breakers and 
near the rocks, seeming to like such places bet- 
ter than the smooth waters, probably because 
the waves are tossing plenty of food about. 
The breeding and nesting season finds the 
most of them in the north, where by quiet 
stream or sedgy pond they make their nest, in- 
differently on the ground or in a dead stub, 
with its hollow lined with feathers and grass, 
and all is ready for the eggs. The broods range 
