The Red-breasted Merganser 



Distribution in California. — Common winter resident along the entire sea- 

 coast and among the islands; usually found just off shore or in brackish ponds and 

 estuaries. Occurs also irregularly upon larger bodies of fresh water (Salton Sea, 

 Apr. 27, 1917). 



Authorities. — Newberry, Rep. Pac. R. R. Surv., vol. vi., 1857, p. 104 (San 

 Francisco); Nelson, Rep. Nat. Hist. Coll. Alaska, 1887, p. 66 (desc. nest, eggs, habits, 

 etc.); C. W. Townsend, Auk, vol. xxviii., 191 1, p. 341 (courtship, etc.; New England). 



SWIMMING is the way of nature and flying a slowly acquired art 

 for the Shelldrakes. The adults, indeed, are capable of rising quickly and 

 flying with great rapidity at a considerable height, but oftener they patter 

 over the surface of the water to get a running start, and then with out- 

 stretched neck and supple wing skim along close to the water, as though 

 loth to leave its friendly shelter. Many a time have I seen them in the 

 swiftest part of some rushing stream, repeatedly breasting the current 

 with tireless energy for the sake of being swept along some favorite riffle 

 under water, adding thus the momentum of the stream to their own power 

 of locomotion in enabling them to seize quickly unsuspecting trout. 



The young birds swim from the shell, but are nearly full grown before 

 they can fly. A troop of half-grown young under the care of the mother 

 bird affords an interesting study, and not infrequently provokes some 

 novice to make the exertion of his life at the oars. At this time there is 

 scarcely more than a trace of muscular tissue on the breast of the young- 

 sters, but the swimming gear, the legs and hinder portions, is fully de- 

 veloped, so that in motion the birds look curiously like long-necked water- 

 bottles. If pursued in a boat the brood keeps well together, each bird 

 leaning forward, almost standing on the water, and keeping up a motion 

 like a tiny stern-wheeler, the whole flock leaving a wake behind them not 

 unlike that of a small steamer. The anxious mother directs the flight, 

 now dropping into the water to urge the chicks to greater exertions, now 

 flying back to distract the attention of the pursuers, or to develop some 

 ruse to cover the escape. Once when a party of us were pursuing a brood 

 in this manner along the rocky shore of Lake Chelan, the mother bird 

 hit upon a very clever scheme. When the flock was becoming winded 

 and we would head in toward them, she would fly between us and the 

 shore, pretending to lead the flock back down the lake. At first we bit 

 eagerly, and pressed in between her and the flock, intent on cutting off 

 the retreat, only to find upon looking about that the cunning mother had 

 made a wide circuit around us and was urging her brood up the lake again 

 at a headlong speed. Finally, when thoroughly tired out, after a three 

 mile chase, the ducklings took to shore and hid successfully in the loose 

 rubble of the beach without the aid of a scrap of vegetation, and near 



1748 



