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British Diving Ducks 
easier to get near them in such company. The natural attraction of the Smews to the Golden-Eyes 
{F. clangula) remains very remarkable, and is so general in our part of the world that one seldom sees the 
one without the other, and even small flocks of eight or twelve Smews are seldom seen without one or 
more Golden- Eyes in their midst, and keeping as close together with them as though they all belonged to 
one species. Other observers, too, have remarked this marvellous fellowship of two species belonging to 
two quite different genera in other countries also, and in districts where both were equally numerous, and 
they have found it just as striking." 
In Standing or walking the body is held horizontally, and the neck is very much bent, 
so as to form a distinct letter S. 
They roll a good deal in movement, but their general attitudes do not differ from the 
other Mergansers. The crown and crest feathers are, however, held in quite a distinct 
manner peculiar to this bird. The front of the crown rises abruptly, and the sides of the 
crest are puffed out so as to form a rounded and not a flat tuft above the nupal patch. (I 
have endeavoured to show this in my sketches of Smews at rest, which are drawn from 
life.) When excited or in courtship the crest breaks into two parts, that immediately in 
front of the crown and consisting of only a few feathers standing out quite clear from the 
greater part, which is raised behind. The swimming attitudes are the same as the Red- 
breasted Merganser, and they only " sink " the body in the water when alarmed. When on 
feed they swim lower, and the tail trails, or is sometimes a little lower than the line of 
the water. 
They dive with swiftness, and apparently more vertically than the other Mergansers — 
this may be due to their feeding on slower-moving fish — but they do not seem to range 
over the same extent of ground as the larger species. I have, however, seen a Smew 
making long horizontal dives like a Red-breasted Merganser, and in this instance it was 
probably hunting for food or in pursuit of trout. Certainly the few Smews I have seen on 
feed did not change their ground much, but came up again near to the spot they had 
dived, and it may be true, as some authors have asserted, that this is their general habit. 
I do not think that any of the Mergansers use their wings under water as the Eiders do. 
They all seem capable of swimming distances under water without coming to the surface to 
breathe. If the flock has separated, it soon swims together again before again diving. 
The flight is very rapid, and the neck held very stiff and straight. When going at full 
speed they swing from side to side, and often shoot down suddenly close to water. 
On alighting on the water they often dive at once, as a precautionary measure, and on 
rising to the surface stop, preen, and bathe. Like the other Mergansers, they are con- 
stantly preening their feathers, whether on land or on the water. In winter they seldom 
come ashore, but in summer they often emerge from the water and lie for hours asleep 
amongst the stones or on some sand-spit or island. Hennicke observed a flock of Smews 
in Finland, in September 1900, resting on tree-trunks in the middle of the rapids of the 
Ulea River. 
Smews very seldom make any cry, and in the winter only a harsh croaking note. 
Naumann states that their food consists chiefly of small fish, such as Atherina 
hepsetus, small crab-like creatures, such as Crangon vulgaris, small frogs and water insects, 
also Alburnus lucidus, gudgeon, roach, trout fry, elvers, &c. 
They also eat small trout, roach, or any small fish of a suitable size. Sim, the 
