THE HOODED MERGANSER, ANATIDAE LOPHODYTES CUCUL- 



LATUS. 



ALLAN BROOKS. 



This beautiful little duck occurs through- 

 out North America below the Arctic zone, 

 and is found in all sorts of localities. From 

 its tree-nesting habits it is often confused 

 with the wood duck; but, unlike that spe- 

 cies, it never perches on trees. At least, I 

 have never seen it do so. 



It keeps to the smaller streams and 

 swamps, as a rule, until driven by frost to 

 seek the sea or larger rivers and lakes. It 

 is one of the first ducks to return in spring 

 in Eastern Canada. As soon as the creeks 



down in a hollow tree, sometimes at a 

 great distance from the ground. The fe- 

 male carries the young, as soon as hatched, 

 to the nearest water. Exactly how this is 

 done is a puzzle. Most authorities claim 

 that the young one is pressed by the bill 

 against the breast, the body being held in 

 the curve of the mother's neck. An eye 

 witness, however, informed me that the 

 mother sailed from the tree with only a 

 slight tremulous movement of the wings, 

 which were held rather high, the little one 



HOODED MERGANSER, ANATIDAE LOPHODYTES CUCULLATUS. 



begin to break up this jaunty little mi- 

 grant can be seen following all the wind- 

 ings of the stream in its arrow-like flight. 



It is an expert diver in spite of its rather 

 small feet, and, unlike the larger mer- 

 gansers, seems to prefer small shellfish and 

 water insects to fish; although it does not 

 refuse small minnows when it can get 

 them. 



The nesting season of the merganser is, 

 as a rule, rather earlier than that of most 

 other ducks. The eggs are laid on a bed of 



being between them on the mother's back, 

 as nearly as he could ascertain. 



The mother merganser, with her brood 

 of tiny ducklings, is a very pretty sight. 

 When alarmed she swims rapidly away, 

 some of the young ones on her back and 

 the others close beside her in her wake, at 

 a distance looking like a single duck. 

 When hard pressed the little ones scatter 

 in all directions, seeming to run on the 

 surface of the water at great speed, and 

 diving the instant they stop. The mother, 



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