278 



ORDERS OF BIRDS— DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS 



Our occupation of Alaska, after the Russians, 

 has led to the arming of the natives with modern 

 rifles and shot-guns, before which wild life gen- 

 erally is rapidly being swept out of existence. 



The White-Winged Scoter 1 (sko'ter) quite 

 acceptably represents a group of sea-ducks 

 and deep divers, called Scoters, and of which 

 there are three species resident in North Amer- 

 ica. These are the blackest of all our ducks. 

 The species known as the American Scoter 



southern California, northern Missouri, Illinois 

 and Maryland. Like most of our ducks, it 

 breeds in the far north, and returns to us only 

 for the winter. It is a deep and persistent 

 diver, and it is said that when wounded and 

 pursued it will sometimes dive to the bottom, 

 even fifty feet if necessary, seize a bunch of 

 grass or weeds with its bill, and hold on until 

 it has quite drowned. Its food consists of fish, 

 crustaceans and mollusks. 



■ ' r. ' 



Female. 



RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. 



is glossy black throughout, without a single 

 patch of color save the bright orange-yellow 

 which colors the basal half of the bill and its 

 knob. 



The White- Winged species has a white patch 

 on each wing, technically known as a "specu- 

 lum," and a white patch of variable shape under 

 or in rear of the eye. Above and in rear of the 

 nostrils the bill and skull together are raised into 

 a conspicuous hump, half covered by feathers. 



Like all the scoters, this bird is a fish-eating 

 duck, and its flesh is so fishy in flavor it is not 

 considered fit for the table. It is widely dis- 

 tributed throughout North America down to 



1 Oi-de'mi-a deg-land'i. Average length, 21 inches. 



The Red- Breasted Merganser 2 bravely and 

 handsomely represents what is structurally 

 the lowest group of ducks, known as the Mer- 

 gan'sers, embracing three species. The bill of 

 this bird is long, narrow, and set along the edges 

 with lamellae that look quite like sharp teeth — 

 a most admirable arrangement for seizing fish 

 under water. The bill of a Merganser always 

 reminds me of two things: the jaws of the 

 gavial, or Gangetic crocodile, and Professor 

 Marsh's toothed bird, the Hes-per-or'nis, from 

 the great extinct inland sea of the Middle West- 

 One of the common names of this bird is the 

 Saw-Bill; and it is peculiarly appropriate. 



2 Mer-gan'ser ser-ra'lor. Average length, 22 inches. 



