410 THE GOOSANDER. 



rushes or sedges, and near the water, is rather bulky, made 

 of dried weeds and grasses, finished with fibrous roots, and 

 . lined with the bird's own soft down. 



In the Georgian Bay region, as also throughout Canada, 

 and I think also in New England, the Goosander generally 

 breeds in holes in trees, after the manner of the Wood Duck 

 and the Hooded Merganser. In Norway and Sweden, the 

 fact that this species breeds in the above manner is well es- 

 tablished. Having been misled by Audubon's statement, 

 implying that its nest is invariably On the ground, I lost 

 much time in my earlier searches for it. 



The eggs, generally 7 or 8, some 3.00 x 2.00, are oval, 

 smooth, and of a rich cream color. As in the eggs of all 

 the Mergansers, and also those of the Ducks, the smooth 

 finish and clear creamy tint are strongly characteristic. As 

 soon as the young are hatched they are led to the water, as 

 is the case with all the swimming birds. They are an ele- 

 gant little flock, having the exact colors of the female — 

 chestnut head and ashen gray upper parts — while yet in 

 their softest down. How gracefully they swim at onoe, and 

 dive like little witches. When they are a few weeks old it 

 will puzzle any boatman to capture them. Nothing can 

 surpass the assiduity of the mother bird in caring for them. 

 How gently she leads and feeds them, teaching them as soon 

 as possible to secure their own food. 



Migrating in small flocks, as the winter approaches, the 

 Goosanders, Sheldrakes or Saw-bills, for they are known by 

 ^11 these names, spread throughout the Union,many, however, 

 going just far enough south to secure open places in the 

 streams for feeding. Here they will come from time to time 

 during the coldest weather, and take their repast, sometimes 

 showing but little of that fear of man so characteristic of 

 the swimming birds in general. The bright red of their feet 



