300 BIRDS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE 
like the last, nor is it nearly so common in winter, and the 
specimens which we have procured have been generaUy from 
the sea or its vicinity."* 
An adult male Red-breasted Merganser obtained on the 
Scottish Solway in January, 1866, may be seen in the Tulhe 
House Museum, Carhsle. Mr. R. Service records that 
several Mergansers were procured in November, 1881, 
both on the sea, and on inland waters. Although common 
in some parts of the country they are very scarce here "t ; 
another was obtained at the beginning of November, 1883.t 
Mr. Hugh Mackay states : " On 3rd February, 1894, Mr. 
Davidson, fisherman, sent me a beautiful adult male specimen 
of the Red-breasted Merganser. Immature specimens are 
frequently met with in the Solway, but it is on very rare 
occasions that adult male birds are found."§ 
This species, owing to its worthlessness for food, is not 
much sought after, so that the records of its occurrence are 
but few ; in most winters, however, it is observed on our 
coasts, though in annually varying numbers. It arrives 
late in autumn, and stays till May or even June ; and m 
good weather it may be seen on most days withm a quarter 
of a mile of the shore. H. A. Macpherson states that : " In 
July 1890, Mr. Nicol saw a half-grown brood of Mergansers 
swimming in the Waver [Cumberland] with their parents, 
but the party had probably crossed over to us from the 
Scottish Solway."|| It has not been known to nest m the 
county ; though the alleged instance of the Goosander s 
nesting in Dumfriesshire (see pp. 298, 299) might have been 
referred with more probabihty to this species. 
The Red-breasted Merganser breeds in many counties in 
Ireland and north-west Scotland, and in the rest of Europe 
throughout the northern area. The nest is usually 
* Nat. Lib., 1843, Vol. XIV., p. 181. 
t Trans. D. and G. Nat. Hist. Soc, February 3rd, 1882, 
X Op. cit., December 7th, 1883. 
§ Op. cit., April 20th, 1894. 
II Fauna of Lakeland, 1892, p. 310. 
