RED-BREASTED :NrERGANSER. 
3 
suspicions are aroused by a shot or two, I am unacquainted with any of our wildfowl so utterly unapproachable 
on open water. 
Plate I. shows the female with a newly-hatched brood shortly after leaving the nest. I came unexpectedly 
on a family-party sunning themselves on the rough and stony bank of a loch in the east of Sutherland, and 
noticed the whole group collected together in the manner depicted by the artist. This occurred on June 29, 
1868. A week or ten days later I again found other broods in the same stage. 
In Plate II. a male shot in Gairloch on May 20, 1868, is figured. In many instances I remarked that 
the males have commenced assuming this dingy-coloured plumage as early as the middle of March. On 
April 13, 1869, I met with from one hundred and fifty to a couple of hundred of this species swimming in 
small parties on the still water in the upper part of the Little Perry, a muddy salt-water loch near Golspie *. 
Never having been disturbed, the birds were by no means wild, and the punt was sculled slowly through the 
numerous parties while I carefully noted every stage of plumage. The two brightest specimens that came 
under observation were obtained, and I discovered they closely resembled the bird depicted in the Plate. 
This large gathering may be accounted for by the birds liaving collected along the coast previous to dispersing 
to their various breeding-quarters. 
The full plumage of the adult male is given in Plate III. The specimen from which the sketch is taken 
was shot in January 1869 on the Dornoch Pirth. This bird had attracted my attention by his conspicuous 
colouring for several days. The small flock with which he kept company usually resorted to the waters of the 
firth between Edderton Bay and Tain Sands. Several attempts had been made one frosty morning during 
the flood-tide (the navigation of the firth being at the time somewhat difficult, owing to drift-ice) to obtain a 
shot at the party. The presence of the wary old drake had, however, in every instance rendered our efforts 
to get within range an utter failure. Shortly before the turn of the tide, as a number of immense blocks of ice 
were banked together in a most threatening manner a short distance up the river, it was considered safest to 
draw in tow" ards the landing-stage at the Meikle Perry, and knock off work for a time till the full strength of 
the ebb was spent. In those days my boats were housed in a shed built up against tlie inn ; and while the 
men were dragging one of our craft under cover, I remained on the small quay, watching the progress of a 
squall gathering towards the north-east, and keeping a look-out for any passing fowl. Just as the flakes of 
snow were commencing to fall, I happened to catch sight of half a dozen Mergansers settling on a large slab 
of ice about a couple of hundred yards to the west of the point. A momentary glance was sufficient to 
ascertain the fact that our old friend was among the number; so jumping into the double punt, which was still 
moored alongside the quay, 1 shoved off for one more trial. Unfortunately there was no time to summon 
assistance, as the birds w"cre now rapidly approaching, and I was consequently forced to start short-handed. 
Luckily a current carried the ice on which the birds were resting over towards the south shore ; and after 
clearing the cover from the lock of the gun, I had merely to make half a dozen strokes with the sculling-oar, 
and then craw’l forward and draw the trigger, as the barrel was pointing fairly on the unsuspecting party. The 
old male at once turned over, and after giving two or three flaps with his wings, which carried him witliin a 
yard of the edge of the ice, dropped perfectly dead. It was but the work of a minute to run up alongside and, 
grappling the slab with the ice-hook, to seize my prize. I had no chance to collect another couple or two that 
were lying a few feet further on the ice; so after putting a stop to the struggles of one unfortunate cripple with 
the charge from a shoulder-gun, I turned my attention to the ice, which was commencing to move towards 
the sea with greater rapidity. It was perfectly obvious when I shoved off that there could be no chance of 
regaining the ferry-point, and my object was to reach the shore on the south side of the firth at the earliest 
opportunity. A dense squall of snow was now passing over, shutting out the view on all sides beyond a 
distance of fifty yards, and, owing to the darkness, rendering especially formidable the aspect of the ponderous 
* This piece of water is marked Loch Fleet in the maps, hut in the district I never heard this name applied to it. 
