28 
THE AMERICAN MERGANSERS 
There is a steady purpose and untiring energy in the 
flight of Wild Ducks, whether they move in dotted 
alignment against the distant sky or stare in suspicion 
as they pass low, with straightened necks and stiff 
rapid wings ♦ Their full, heavy bodies and small, 
pointed wings make flight a serious effort, quite 
unlike the indolent soarings of the Gulls, the steady 
undulations of the Herons, or the restless irregularity 
of the inhabitants of the woods. They freely range 
the continent from the arctic shores to the tropics, 
making homes, according to their varied inclinations, 
on the rocky shores, in the concealing marshes, in 
trees, by hidden streams, and on the open prairie. 
Most conspicuous in this varied family are the 
American Mergansers, and a small detachment have 
already arrived in search of summer quarters. Their 
narrow-toothed bills indicate a fish diet, and this has 
saved them from pursuit, but the conspicuous beauty 
of their plumage and the graceful curves of their 
changing attitudes are temptations to the predatory. 
They swim about the edges of the weakening ice, 
their red bills reflecting rich tints in the sunlight, 
their heads of dark metallic green glistening like 
