56 
J. E. LITTLEBOY—NOTES ON BIRDS 
Morris,* “ it is nulli secundus,” and the quaint author of the 
‘Book of Ealconrie’ mentions merlins as “passing good hawks 
and verie skilful.” Macgillivray f informs us that the merlin was 
“ formerly trained to catch larks, snipes, woodcocks, and young 
partridges, and that it appears to have been a favourite with 
the gentle ladies of the good old times.” Sir Walter Scott alludes 
to it as follows, in his ‘Lay of the Last Minstrel’ (canto vi, 
stanza v):— 
“ The Lady by the altar stood ; 
Of sable velvet her array, 
And on her head a crimson hood 
Guarded with gold, with ermine lined; 
A merlin sat upon her wrist, 
Held hy a leash of silken twist.” 
And to this stanza the following note is appended:—“A merlin 
was actually carried by ladies of rank, just as a falcon in time of 
peace was the constant attendant on knight and baron.” 
8. The Red-breasted Merganser ( Mergus serrator). —This 
bird is from the Munden collection. It was shot between 1840 
and 1850. The red-hreasted merganser, one of the most handsome 
and showy of the duck tribe, is only a winter visitor in England. 
It is resident in Scotland, and breeds on many of the lochs north 
of the Clyde. It is a circumpolar bird, its breeding-range ex¬ 
tending, in Scandinavia, to the North Cape. Like the smew, the 
red-hreasted merganser is an expert diver ; it uses its wings as well 
as its feet in its progress under water, and in this manner supplies 
itself with small fish, which, when caught, are immediately brought 
to the surface. It feeds on crustaceans and molluscs, hut does not 
appear to eat vegetable matter. 
9. The Smew (. Mergus albellus).— The smew or nun, as it is 
sometimes called, is a small hut elegant duck. The specimen that 
I have the pleasure of exhibiting is taken from the Munden collec¬ 
tion, and was shot on the 26th of December, 1846, by Mr. Nathaniel 
Hibbert. It is a rare winter straggler to the British Isles, and 
appears to prefer inland waters. It breeds in Iceland, Siberia, 
and the north of Russia, Mr. Seebohm having been fortunate 
enough to secure its eggs in the valley of the Petchora, a few 
miles south of the Arctic circle. The smew feeds principally “ on 
small fish, crustaceans, and aquatic insects, which it obtains without 
difficulty, as it is an excellent diver and pursues its prey under 
water with great rapidity.” J 
10. The Oyster-catcher ( ' Hcematopus ostralegus). —In the month 
of Eebruary, 1868, an oyster-catcher was shot by Mr. Wilshin on 
the Elstree Reservoir, and is now in his possession. I am indebted 
to Mr. E. P. Thompson, of Elstree, for this information. The 
oyster-catcher belongs to the class Grallatores or waders. It is 
resident in Scotland and the north, and is only met with in our 
* ‘ British Birds,’ vol. i, p. 112. 
f ‘ Rapacious Birds,’ 1836, p. 219. 
X Yarrell, ‘ British Birds,’ ed. 4, vol. iv, p. 506. 
