48 THE WEST VIRGINIA 
common, and may be found on all rivers and ponds durig then 
spring and fall months. 
4. LOON 
Urinator imber (Gunn.). 
Transient visitant. Tolerably common on the Ohio and Great 
Kanawha. It bas been taken frequently on Buckhannon, 
Cheat, Monongahela, and South Branch of the Potomac Rivers. 
_l obse ved a single individual on Greenbrier River October 15. 
5. HERRING-GULL. 
Larus argentatus Ssmithsonianus (Coues.) 
Accidental in spring. Dr. Mathers has observed it during 
that season. 
6; MERGANSER SHELLDRAKE. 
Merganser americanus (Cass.). 
Transient visitant; tolerably common. This species is known 
throughout the State as Fish Duck. I observed it frequently 
along the different streams after September 20. This and the 
following Mergansers feed mainly, if not wholly, on fish. 
Lhe RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. 
Merganser serrator (Linn.). 
Like the preceding, this species is also known as Fish Duck. 
It occurs occasionally as a transient visitant. 
8. HOODED MERGANSER. 
Lophodytes cucullatus (Linn.). 
Transient visitant; rare. Mr. Brown, of Parkersburg, has a 
stuffed specimen of this Merganser, which he procured on the 
Ohio several years ago. He has observed it occasionally since 
in fall and early spring. The Hooded seems to be the rarest 
of the three Mergansers that frequent the country visited, and 
the Shelldrake the most abundant. W.E. D. Scott took a 
specimen of this Merganser August 9, 1872; on the great Ka- 
nawha River. It was an immature female, 
