312 VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF LAKELAND 



cation, said that a second and similar bird had been seen and 

 fired at by the same man. On the 15th of the month I ex- 

 amined another old Smew drake, shot by the keeper of Mr. 

 Maclnnes on the Eden near Eickerby the same morning. Little, 

 who killed it, showed me the exact spot where he flushed it, 

 saying that it flew out from among the ' safFs ' or willows at the 

 water edge and was crossing the stream when he stopped it. 

 When he began to handle it a small ' brandling ' dropped out 

 of its mouth. On the 17th of the same month a female Smew 

 in adult dress was brought to me for Tullie House by Mr. J. N. 

 Robinson, who had shot it near Cargo the previous evening. 

 No more Smews were killed during January, but on the 4th of 

 February I found a single bird on Monkhill Lough. The severe 

 weather had now broken ; Tufted Ducks, Pochards, Goldeneyes, 

 Teal, and Mallard had all returned to their favourite retreat. 

 The Smew was in female or immature dress. When first ob- 

 served, it was swimming near the south side of the lough, but 

 on being disturbed it swam out into the middle of the water and 

 along the bank on the opposite side, travelling faster than any 

 of the common diving ducks. The head was carried fairly 

 erect, and the white fore-neck was generally visible. It swam 

 rather deep in the water, and its action in diving resembled that 

 of a Grebe more than that of a duck. It seemed to be shy and 

 wild, and did not consort with any other fowl ; neither did it 

 stay long on the lough, for on my next visit it had disappeared. 

 The neck of the Smew is rather short in comparison with that 

 of other ducks, and the body is very compact, the pectoral 

 girdle giving the impression of unusual strength. The legs are 

 placed quite as far back as in the other species of Mergansers, 

 and argue an upright position when the Smew is at rest on land. 

 I have dissected a good many Smews at different times, and 

 almost always found their food to consist of small fishes, with 

 occasional aquatic larvse. Mr. Maclnnes's bird had nothing but 

 a few fish scales and bones in its stomach, but Eaine, to whom 

 I sent Mr. Saul's bird for preservation, in addition to five fishes 

 about three inches in length, took four fresh-water shells out of 

 its stomach. This old drake, in fairly good condition, weighed 

 1 lb. 3 oz. The Smew is not a heavy duck at any time. 



