AMERICAN MERGANSER 405 
the family are regular residents of North Amer- 
ica, and one Old World member of the race, the 
““Smew’’ or ‘‘Nun,’’ is an exceptionally rare 
visitor on the northeastern coast line. All have 
long, narrow, cylindrical bills with notched and 
toothed edges—even the tongues are serrated 
to hold more firmly when they close upon their 
slippery prey, for this is a family of ‘‘fishing 
ducks,’’ and are sometimes called ‘‘Saw-bills’’ 
from these saw-like teeth along the edges of 
the bill. These barb-like lamelle are indispen- 
sible to the owner, making the bill perfection 
for its purpose and enabling the bird to hold 
fast to all on which it closes, as tightly as a pol- 
itician with a ‘‘pull.’’ 
Any one of the Shelldrakes is more than half 
fish, Seen under the water in pursuit of a 
breakfast or dodging about to escape capture 
when wounded the resemblance to some finny 
dweller of the sea is very marked; head and 
neck outstretched, every feather hugged closely 
to the body, the half-opened wings like large fins 
aiding the feet in their work, he goes shooting 
through the water like a flash. 
The Shelldrake’s body is more compressed 
and somewhat longer in proportion to its size 
