Smew 123 
Aberdeen naturalist, says that in the stomachs of four specimens sent to him for preserva- 
tion were insects, mollusca, sticklebacks, and bits of quartz (Vert, Fauna of Dee, p. 154). 
On the sea sand-eels are a favourite food. 
Naumann gives a pleasant picture of the methods of Smews feeding in a river full of 
ice [torn, cit., p. 278). 
" To watch a flock of Smews at their fishing unseen affords a pleasant amusement. At one moment 
all are swimming together, and then in a flash all have vanished from the surface, the water is stirred by 
their paddling in it, and finally one after another appears on the top again, but scattered, and where 
there is room, often thirty to fifty paces from the original place ; they assemble again, dive yet again, 
and to the surprise of the observer they appear this time perhaps quite close to him on the surface. It is 
very wonderful how they can obtain their means of food only by diving often from such a small opening 
in the ice of only a few square feet ; and they conduct their fish chase then under an ice roof, but they 
always come up again to the open places to breathe and rest for a few moments ; and this is a proof that 
their sight under water must reach to a considerable distance. In places where the open water does not 
contain enough fish, or they have themselves caught or scared away the fish, they scour the bottom 
for insects or frogs taking their winter sleep in the mud, or for fish which have taken refuge and hidden 
there. ... It is a special feature in the behaviour of the Smews (as it is too with other species of the 
genus), that if they want to fish they generally all dive under at the same time with the intent to pursue 
the surprised fish in all directions, so that one can catch what has escaped another or merely been scared 
away. But we have never noticed that in diving under they keep to any particular formation, and, as 
has been said, arrange themselves in a semi-circle to which they adhered after diving, so as to drive the 
fish into a narrow place and thus make sure of catching them. Their collective diving, however, drives 
the fish from one part of the water to another, and if the birds follow them even there, and the fish in 
terror try to hide themselves in any crevice, then the Smews often change from one place where there is 
plenty of fish to another, not infrequently an hour's distance away, so that they give the fish time to calm 
down again. We have been able to see from the waves made on the surface of the water, especially on 
standing pools, how they darted after the escaping fish in every direction, and their paths not infrequently 
crossed in doing so." 
From Central Europe Smews often move northwards as early as the end of February ; 
but on some of the lakes of Southern Europe they do not move until the end of April, and 
it is probable that the flocks begin to show their courtship before they leave. 
The male now at the Zoological Gardens has been in good health for two years, 
and now " shows " constantly in spring before any female Goosander or Red-breasted 
Merganser in the absence of a female of his own species. The courtship is as follows : (i) 
The male swims slowly round the female, sometimes with the long scapulars slightly raised 
or expanded. The head and neck is often moved slowly forward in a pushing manner, and 
when about to make the act of display the neck is drawn back as far as possible between 
the scapulars. All this time the crest is raised and spread in a very peculiar fashion. It is 
separated into two parts, the front consisting of only a few feathers of the front of the crown. 
These stand quite clear away from the latter part of the crest, which is expanded above the 
nupal patch of black. Often a single white feather stands out alone connecting the two 
sections of the crest. The nupal patch lies flat, and the back of the head is not distended 
in any way. 
(2) The next act of show is to push forward the neck somewhat slowly and then back 
as far as possible, the crest on the crown being raised as already indicated, and the chin 
pointed upwards, whilst there is a slight rise of the forepart of the body as it is lifted from 
the water. During this sedate movement the mating cry of the male is uttered. The throat 
