Red-breasted Merganser 109 
and the birds get under weigh and alight less clumsily than that species. Nevertheless they 
make a great fluttering and splashing as they rise from the surface of a still lake, and 
the species may be recognised at a great distance by their noisy and frequent excursions 
on the surface. In the spring especially the parties seem to be fond of continuous 
"splashing" races of short duration, so much so that it seems to be almost a part and 
expression of the sexual excitement. When flying a whistling sound is produced by the 
wings. The usual cry of both species is a harsh *'Ker-r-r" or Gor-r-r," uttered by both 
male and female, but more usually the latter as she rises or in moments of excitement. 
I have heard the female also make use of another note resembling the quack of the 
Wild Duck, but not so loud, when calling her young. 
Dresser [Birds of Europe, p. 697) says, with regard to Red-breasted Merganser, that 
when pursued or threatened with any danger, it usually seeks safety by diving in pre- 
ference to trusting to its power of flight." This is not my experience, for I have always 
found that this bird takes to wing immediately danger threatens, and does not dive. Even 
females with very small young fly round and round, frequently alighting, and uttering 
hoarse cries in their efforts to lead away the disturber. 
As the spring advances Red-breasted Mergansers assemble in fairly large flocks prior 
to migrating to the breeding grounds. It is not uncommon to see packs of fifty or sixty 
adult birds together in the estuaries, but these flocks are never so large as those formed 
of immatures in the autumn. I have seen flocks of fifty or more at the mouth of the Liff"ey 
(co. Dublin), on Loch Fyne (Argyll), and in Sutherland and Orkney, and those in 
March were in a state of constant commotion owing to the ardent passions of the males, 
who had already commenced their courtship in early March. Even when they have 
arrived at the breeding grounds at the end of March or early in April, it is common to 
see two or three males accompanying and ''showing" off before one female, at which date 
the eclipse dress has fully commenced, some of the necks of the males having already 
moulted the white collar. It is generally not until the end of April, when the males have 
half-changed the head and neck, that we see pairs of Red-breasted Mergansers going about 
together, and even at this late date a tertium quid may be observed in attendance. This 
is probably due to the fact that the fighting of the males is not of a very serious 
character. They rush at each other with open bill, and occasionally bite and hold, but 
their ardour in chasing the female is so great that they soon leave a rival, and so he 
remains to obtain his share in the lists of love. All four species of Merganser, although so 
closely allied, have a somewhat different courtship, that of the Red-breasted Merganser 
being by far the most remarkable. I have observed it many times, both in a wild state and 
in birds in confinement. The " bobs " and grimaces which the male makes before the female 
are very strange and even comic. The courtship is as follows : i. The first advance of the 
male is to swim rapidly towards the female with the chin and head raised to an angle of 75°, 
the crest being depressed close to the neck. This gives a very snake-like appearance to the 
bird. 2. On reaching the female the head and neck are suddenly thrown out straight in 
front and then turned downward with a sudden bow. 3. A quick rise in the water and a 
dip. 4. On coming back to the normal position the double crest is fully spread, the head 
turned sideways, and the bill opened to its widest extent, showing the inside' of a red 
mouth. 
