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raising its bill like a common fowl. In deep water the Mer- 
ganser will remain below sufficiently long to enable a boat to sail 
up within shot, but it is very seldom that such a chance occurs, 
one bird or more being almost constantly in sight : not that I 
have any faith whatever in the popular belief as to a regular 
system of watching being kept up, each individual in turn act- 
ing as sentry. The fact is, that most of the flock dive and 
rise almost simultaneously, but as soon as one catches a fish 
it takes it to the surface, and, either by delaying to swallow it, 
or by finishing the process rapidly, and diving again before the 
reappearance of the flock, thus gives rise to confusion. The 
student of sea-birds in their native haunts will soon find that 
almost every species wdiich is much given to diving has its 
characteristic way of taking the plunge. One bird, a Eazor- 
bill, for example, will give you the impression that it has been 
suddenly turned topsy-turvy and pulled straight down. An- 
other, as the Black Guillemot, will make a sudden splash with 
its wings as it disappears. The Merganser dives by raising the 
body and jfiunging head foremost, and at a distance may 
readily be distinguished from the Shag, which dives in the 
same manner, by its far more graceful movement, — not to say 
by the snake-like neck and long narrow head. 
When watching the Merganser diving I have observed that it 
invariably uses its wings as well as its feet ; sometimes it de- 
scends quite to the bottom, stirring the weeds with its bill, and 
darting with astonishing speed after any small fish which may 
chance to show itself. In rising to the surface, its own buoy- 
ancy is quite sufficient ; yet I have occasionally seen it give 
additional impetus to its ascent by means of its wings. The 
latter are always used when it is in mid- water examining the 
rocks, and in that case the hind part of the body is always 
highest. I have seen the bird in this position, just as in 
surface swimming, as above mentioned, suddenly dart to the 
bottom and seize a fish, the act being followed, as usual, by im- 
mediate ascent to the surface. In the Shetland seas, where the 
v/ater is perfectly clear for the de})th of several fathoms, 
