AXD NEIGHBOURHOOD. 203 



I have very little personal acquaintance with the 

 present species in life, although I have watched 

 Goosanders at a respectful distance on several occa- 

 sions in various parts of the world, and I certainly 

 never enjoyed such an opportunity for the observation 

 of the three very beautiful and interesting species of 

 Mergus at the same moment as that above related. 



The Goosander is now known to breed in several 

 counties of Scotland, as well as in Iceland, Denmark, 

 Northern Germany, Norway, Finland, and Northern 

 Russia. The nest is said to be usually placed in a 

 hollow tree, " sometimes on a ledge of rock, but 

 almost invariably under some kind of shelter " 

 (Yarrell, 4th ed. vol. iv. p. 492) ; the eggs are of 

 a rich creamy white. The food of this species 

 consists entirely of small fishes obtained by diving ; 

 it is hardly necessary to add that its flesh is worthless 

 for the table. In the winter it visits the Mediter- 

 ranean, where, however, I never noticed it in any 

 considerable numbers. In my opinion the old male 

 Goosander is the most beautiful of British birds, 



Whilst employed on these Notes, I received as a 

 gift from Mr. John Eunson a very fine female 

 Goosander that was killed by the keeper at Ravens- 

 thorpe Reservoir, on February 14, 1891. In a 

 letter that accompanied this most acceptable present, 

 Mr. Eunson was good enough to inform me that on 

 March 27 a pair of these birds were frequenting this 

 same sheet of water, and that he was doing his best 

 to prevent their being destroyed or in any way 

 molested. 



