306 THE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. 
In North America its range is similar to that of the preced- 
ing species, but it occurs in Greenland, which the Goosander 
does not ; and, though recorded from California, hardly travels 
quite so far south in winter. 
Generally, I think, it may be said to have a rather more norther- 
ly range, to extend and breed further north, and to straggle less 
frequently far south than the Goosander ; and it is a species 
which I should only expect to meet with, within our limits, as 
a rare straggler, 
THE HABITS of this species seem to differ little from those of 
the Goosander, but they are said to fly with great swiftness, 
and make a well-marked whistling sound with the wings, barely 
perceptible, according to my experience, even when quite close 
in the case of the Smew, and very faint even in that of the 
Goosander. 
Au reste, it will be sufficient to reproduce some remarks of 
Macgillivray’s on this species :-— 
“In the outer Hebrides, in March, April, and part of May, 
and again in autumn, I have seen very large flocks in the small 
sandy bays, fishing day after day for sand eels. They sit in 
the water much in the manner of the Cormorants, but without 
sinking so deep, unless when alarmed, and advance with 
great speed.... You may suppose us to be jammed into the crack 
of a rock, with our hats off, and we peeping cunningly at the 
advanced guard of the squadron which is rounding the point at 
no great distance. There they glide along, and now, coming 
into shallow water, they poke their heads into it, raise them, 
and seem to look around, lest some masked battery should open 
upon them unawares. Now, one has plunged with a jerk, 
another, one here, one there—at length the whole flock. Now 
start up, and if you wish a shot, run to the water’s edge and get 
down among the sea-weed behind a stone, while I from this 
eminence survey the submersed flock. How smartly they shoot 
along under the water, with partially outspread wings, some 
darting right forward, others wheeling or winding, most of them 
close to the sandy bottom, but a few near the surface. Some 
flounders, startled by the hurricane, shoot right out to sea, with- 
out being pursued. But there, one is up, another, and I must 
sink to repose in some hole. How prettily they rise to the sur- 
face—one here, another there, a whole covey at once emerging, 
and all without the least noise or splutter. But they are far 
beyond shot range. However, having come near the next rocky 
point, they now turn, dive in succession, and will scour the little 
bay until arriving here, at hand, they will be liable to receive a 
salute that will astonish them. A whole minute has elapsed, 
half another ; but now one appears, two, many, the whole flock, 
and into the midst of them pours the duck shot, while the noise 
of the explosion seems to roll along the hill side. In a twink- 
