of May, when they usually construct their nests among the sedges and
reeds that grow upon the margins of the marsh or pond which they may
have selected for their residence. Whether this be fresh water or salt
seems to be to them a matter of no consequence. Sometimes they will build
in situations frequented by man, sometimes by the side of very small
ponds, but in the latter case they soon remove their young ones to a more
roomy locality. After their first arrival they spend a long time in the
society of other species of Ducks, apparently without ever thinking of
the great object of their visit. Towards the end of April they become
restless and lively, and the males begin to utter their amorous call,
the flock separates into pairs, which at once set to work in earnest to
construct their nests. There does not seem to be any fighting amongst
the males; the females quietly select their mates, and the espoused
couple immediately resort to their building ground. The nest is usually
a mere pile of sedges, stalks of reeds, hay, straw, and leaves, slightly
hollowed at the top, and warmly lined with feathers. The eggs, eight or
ten in number, sometimes in exceptional cases more, sometimes fewer, are
moderately large, roundish, and of a dull grey or olive-green. So long
as the female continues to lay, her mate remains true to his duty, and
carefully watches over her safety. When, however, she begins to sit upon
her eggs, the male deserts his charge, leaves her while he amuses himself
in the society of other roving males, and finally troubles himself no more
about either mother or eggs. After the lapse of twenty-two or twenty-three
days, the young ones make their appearance, and on the very day of their
birth are to be seen paddling about upon the surface of the water, but at
first they do not venture beyond the shelter of the floating herbage at
the side of the pond. Soon, however, their parent, by the pressure of her
body, crushes down the reeds and water-plants, so as to make a sort of
bed, to be used as a sleeping or resting place, and here she may be found
sitting, closely surrounded by her little flock, as they sun themselves
and preen their feathers. If disturbed in their snug retreat, they
endeavour to save themselves by repeatedly diving, and if the threatened
danger continues, the mother hastens to lead them to a more secluded spot,
always, if possible, making their way thither by water, never, except in
cases of urgent necessity, trusting to the dry land. The size of the young
Ducks rapidly increases, and they do not learn to fly until they have
attained their full growth. Owing to the excellence of their flesh, the
chase after these birds is eagerly followed up, and the sportsman is able
sometimes to bring down several of them at once, seeing that, if pursued,
the young birds always crowd closely together. Occasionally they are taken
in considerable numbers by means of decoys.
THE RED-HEADED DUCK, DUNBIRD, OR POCHARD.
The RED-HEADED DUCK, DUNBIRD, or POCHARD (_Aythya ferina_), one of the
best-known representatives of the above group, is of a beautiful brownish
red upon the head and fore part of the neck, the front of the breast is
black, the back and sides are pure ash-grey, delicately marked with cross
lines of black. The under side is greyish white, the region of the vent
black; the wing-covers are ash-grey, the wing-spots light grey, and the
quills and tail grey. The eye is yellow, the beak black at its base,
and the margins elsewhere blueish grey; the foot is greenish grey. In
the female the head and neck are reddish greyish brown, marked with an
indistinct crescent of dark brown. Her body is whitish grey, and wings
ash-grey. The young males in their summer dress resemble the females, but
are somewhat brighter in hue, and have the back-feathers of a purer grey.
The length of this bird is nineteen inches, its breadth thirty inches, the
wing measures nine inches and a half, and the tail two inches and a half.
The Red-headed Ducks are winter visitors to Great Britain, appearing in
October, and, as a rule, departing in spring. Occasionally a few have
been said to remain and breed in Norfolk. These birds do not confine
themselves to the sea-coast, but visit inland lakes and rivers. Their note
is usually a low whistle, but, when alarmed, they utter a hoarse croak.
The nest, which is placed among rushes or coarse herbage, contains from
ten to twelve buffish-white eggs; they are about two inches long, and one
inch and five-eighths broad. "Although," says Audubon (in speaking of this
species, which is numerously met with during winter about New Orleans,
East Florida, and Chesapeake Bay), "these Ducks dive much and to a great
depth, while in our bays and estuaries, yet when in the shallow ponds of
the interior, they are seen dabbling in the mud along the shores, much
in the manner of the Mallard; and, on occasionally shooting them there,
I have found their stomach crammed with young tadpoles and small water
lizards, as well as with blades of grass; nay, on several occasions I
have found pretty large acorns and beech-nuts in their throats, as well
as snails, entire or broken, and fragments of the shells of several small
unios, together with much gravel."
Pochards are sold in large numbers in the London markets, and Gould tells
us, on reliable authority, that no less than 14,400, the sale of which
produced £1,200, have been captured in one decoy.
The method by which Pochards were formerly taken is thus described by
Montagu:--"Poles were erected at the avenues leading to the decoys, and
after a great number of birds had collected for some time on the pond,
a net was, at a given time, erected by pulleys to these poles, beneath
which a deep pit had been previously dug; and as these Ducks, like the
Woodcocks, go to feed just as it is dark, and are said always to rise
against the wind, a whole flock was sometimes taken together in this
manner; for if once they strike against the net, they never attempt to
return, but flutter down the net till they are received into the pit, from
which they cannot rise."
* * * * *
The PIN-TAILED DUCKS (_Erismatura_) are recognisable by the structure
of their tail; their body is elongated; neck short and thick; and head
tolerably large. Their beak, which is flat in front, and considerably
enlarged towards its base, is furnished at its tip with a small nail;
the tarsi are short; toes long; and the wings remarkably small and much
vaulted. The long, wedge-shaped tail is formed of eighteen feathers, which
are of hard strong texture, and very tapering towards their extremities.
The close harsh plumage of this group is readily distinguishable by the
peculiarity of its colouring from that of all other Ducks.
THE WHITE-HEADED PIN-TAILED DUCK.
The WHITE-HEADED PIN-TAILED DUCK (_Erismatura leucocephala_) has the head
white, with the exception of a large black patch upon the centre; a band
around the neck and throat is black. The lower neck and region of the
crop are chestnut-brown, finely marked with black; the mantle is greyish
yellow, streaked with black; the under side reddish yellow, with greyish
white centre and black markings; the primary quills are grey, and the tail
black. The eye is reddish yellow; beak blueish grey; and foot reddish
grey. This species is nineteen inches long and twenty-five inches broad;
length of wing six inches and a half, and of tail four inches and a half.
The female is smaller than her mate, and more variegated, but is not so
handsome, owing to the absence of the white feathers and black spot that
adorn the head of the male; the upper part of her head and a spot upon
the cheeks are brown, the latter encircled by a line of yellowish white;
the rest of her plumage is principally reddish brown, marked with watered
black and grey lines. The White-headed Pin-tail is met with throughout
the south and south-east parts of Europe, the south parts of Southern
Asia, and North-west Africa; it is, however, scarcer than the generality
of Ducks, even in localities where it is most frequently observed. It
is principally abundant on the lakes of Asia, whilst in countries more
to the west it seems less common. In Greece it is a regular visitant,
but has not yet been found in Spain. Buvry and Tristram encountered it
upon the lakes of Algeria, and the first-mentioned naturalist succeeded
in obtaining its eggs. "The White-headed Ducks," says Buvry, "are most
elegant birds, and are always met with in pairs. Their beautiful light
blue beak forms a lively contrast to their white head and brown body.
Their attitude when swimming is very striking; they lift up their tail
almost perpendicularly, and glide lightly and quickly over the water
like so many little boats. If pursued they seldom have recourse to their
wings; nevertheless, such is the rapidity of their movements in the
water that they are rarely captured." They lie so deep when swimming
that, with the exception of their head, neck, and tail, very little of
them is seen; and if they choose to exert themselves when paddling with
their powerful and broadly-webbed feet, they swim and dive with all the
facility of a Cormorant. In their flight they rather resemble Divers
than ordinary Ducks, and the rapid motion of their wings produces a very
audible whirring sound. Their voice, which is a somewhat jarring quack,
reminds us of that of the Duck. The food of these birds consists of
molluscs and fishes. In Central Asia their breeding-time occurs later
than that of any of their kindred, their eggs being never met with before
July. The nest is difficult to find, as it is carefully hidden in the
thickest entanglements of the reeds, rushes, and bushes, that abound in
their favourite resorts; occasionally it is still further concealed by
a covering of similar materials. The nests found by Tristram in Algeria
contained--the one three and the other eight eggs. "These," he says, "are
very large in proportion to the size of the bird, of a regular elliptical
shape, very rough shelled, and, unlike those of other Ducks, of a dingy
white." We have no information respecting the rearing of the young.
* * * * *
The MERGANSERS, or GOOSANDERS (_Mergi_), are distinguishable by their
very elongate body, moderately long, thin neck, and large head, which is
generally ornamented by a tuft or hood; their bill is long, straight, or
slightly arched, slender, and almost cylindrical; its callous margins are
sharp and strongly denticulated, and its tip terminated by a strong hook;
the legs are short, and placed very far backwards, the feet large, and
toes long; the hind toe is furnished with a supplementary web, resembling
that of some of the Divers. The wings are of moderate length, and very
acutely pointed, the first and second quills being the longest; the
tail, which consists of sixteen or eighteen feathers, is short, broad,
and rounded; the plumage is short, thick, and prettily coloured, but
the colours vary at different ages, and also in the sexes as well as at
different seasons of the year. These remarkable birds walk badly, with
a vacillating waddling gait, keeping their bodies erect, but they are
excellent swimmers, and dive with wonderful facility. Their flight is
rapid, light, and somewhat resembles that of the Duck. When Mergansers
fly in company, as they frequently do, they range themselves in a certain
regular order; they rise readily, but with a loud noise, splashing with
their feet upon the water, and when they alight again in that element,
fly obliquely downwards, and either at once dive or stop themselves by
means of their outstretched tail. All the members of this family belong
to the northern regions of our globe, but are met with pretty equally
both in the eastern and western hemispheres. When driven south by the
intensity of the cold, their migrations sometimes extend to the south of
Europe, and to corresponding latitudes in Central Asia and America. The
Goosanders subsist chiefly upon fishes, crustaceans, worms, and insects;
the fishes they obtain by diving, and chasing them through the water,
exactly after the manner of the true Divers. These birds are strictly
monogamous, and construct their nests sometimes upon the ground, in clumps
of herbage, among reeds, in hollow trunks, or amongst the branches of
trees, and occasionally in the deserted homes of other birds. The nest is
inartistically formed of dried stalks, leaves, moss, and rushes, warmly
lined with down. The brood consists of from seven to fourteen unspotted
grey or greenish white eggs. The female alone broods, sitting for a period
of from twenty-two to twenty-four days, the male always taking up a
position in the neighbourhood of his mate. At first he seems to take some
interest in his young brood, but soon forsakes them, and joining company
with others of his own sex, retires from his family cares in order to
undergo his autumnal moult. The flesh of the Goosanders is disagreeable,
and of an oily taste, but they are often killed for the sake of their down
and feathers. The eggs are in much request.
THE WHITE-HEADED GOOSANDER.
The WHITE-HEADED GOOSANDER (_Mergellus albellus_) has been made the
representative of a distinct sub-family, probably on account of the
shortness and breadth of its bill, and the peculiarities in its mode of
life. This bird bears a great resemblance to some of the Divers, and
therefore must be placed near them.
The summer dress of the male is pure white, a spot between the eyes,
the beak, and a band across the nape are blackish green; the back and a
portion of the wings, two small stripes upon the shoulder, and a long
stripe above the wing are black; the sides are blueish grey, cross-waved
with black; the primary quills blackish brown, and the tail-feathers grey;
the eye is blueish grey, the beak and foot greyish blue. The length is
nineteen inches, the breadth thirty inches; the length of wing eight
inches and a half, and the length of tail three inches. In the female,
which is smaller than her mate, the head and hinder neck are brown, the
bridles black, the throat and under part of the body white, the feathers
of the mantle grey, the upper breast and sides whitish, transversely
waved with black. After the summer moult the dress of the male very much
resembles that of the female. The real habitat of the White-headed or
Dwarf Goosander, as it is sometimes called, seems to be in Northern Asia,
from whence it extends westward into Northern Europe, and eastwardly into
the northern parts of America. During the winter months, however, it
wanders far southward. It is then to be met with in considerable numbers
throughout the whole of China, being more especially abundant in the
northern provinces of the Celestial Empire. It is, moreover, a regular
visitant to Northern India, and is not unfrequently seen in Central and
in Southern Europe. It seems to be more scarce in the Southern Provinces
of the United States of North America, for Audubon informs us that in the
western division, at least, it was a bird of unusual occurrence. In very
hard winters it makes its appearance in Germany, as early as the month of
November, but more usually not until the middle of December, returning
again to the north in February or March. It is likewise a winter visitor
to the shores of Great Britain, large numbers being sometimes seen on
the eastern or southern coasts of England. It is rarely found north of
the Humber, and is comparatively rare in Scotland and Ireland. In some
parts of Switzerland it may be met with even so late as the beginning of
May. This species is generally only to be found in the neighbourhood of
fresh-water lakes, sometimes, but only casually, it may be seen in quiet
bays upon the sea-coast, more especially in such as are at the mouths of
rivers. Unlike the Divers, it seems to prefer flowing streams to stagnant
water, and often wanders along the course of rivers, from which it only
makes excursions to such lakes and ponds as may be free from ice. When
walking, the Dwarf Goosander holds its body in a horizontal position, with
its head retracted; it walks with a waddling gait, but better than the
generality of its near allies. When swimming it keeps itself about half
submerged, and when it dives it stretches itself out to its full length,
and disappears in an instant. Its flight, which very much resembles that
of the smaller Ducks, is rapid, straight, accompanied by a slight whirring
of the wings, and is generally but little elevated above the surface of
the ground or of the water. It is remarkably lively in its disposition,
and even during the bitterest cold weather is sprightly and active.
These birds may generally be recognised by the manner of their diving;
the True Divers, after their plunge, generally reappear close to the spot
where they went down, but the Goosanders swim while under water to a
considerable distance, shooting along like a pike or a trout, and as they
can keep submerged for a minute at a time, it is not easy to calculate
where they will come up again. They live principally upon small fishes,
crustaceans, and aquatic insects, and in confinement, at least, do not
refuse vegetables; they will also eat bread greedily. In catching fishes
they are quite as skilful as the larger Divers, and it is very interesting
to watch a flock of them thus employed. Now you see them swimming
altogether; in a moment they all vanish at once, and the water becomes
disturbed by their movements underneath; at length they come up again
one after another, but widely separated, and often from thirty to fifty
yards from the place where they went down. Again they congregate, and
anon they dive again; some of them coming up perhaps close to the shore.
Sometimes they are obliged to procure their food through small holes in
the ice, often not a foot square, and to pursue their game beneath the
frozen surface, only presenting themselves every now and then at the
aperture for a supply of air. Their power of seeing under the water must
therefore be very good, or they would never be able to find the broken
place at which to emerge. Where the supply of food is scanty they will
rake up the bottoms of ponds, in search of frogs or insects. The habit of
diving all at once is peculiar to the Goosanders, and the explanation of
this manœuvre seems to be that by so doing they come among the astonished
fishes in all directions, thus enabling one bird to catch those that
are trying to escape from another; but we have never seen them, as some
writers assert, arrange themselves in the form of a crescent, so as to
drive the fishes, as it were, into a narrow space. About the breeding
of these birds we are very imperfectly informed; we know, however, that
in the north of Russia they assemble in great numbers, and build their
nests upon the shore, or upon small islands, sometimes in hollow trees.
We know, likewise, that their nest is composed of dry broom (_Genista_)
and grasses, lined with feathers, and that their eggs, eight to twelve
in number, are of a dirty white, or greenish brown colour, but we are
ignorant either of the duration of their incubation, or of the manner in
which they educate their progeny.
THE GREEN-HEADED GOOSANDER.
The GREEN-HEADED GOOSANDER (_Mergus merganser_) differs from the preceding
species not only in its greater size, but in the structure of its bill,
which is elongated and compressed at its sides. In his summer dress the
male is blackish green upon the head and upper neck; the upper back,
shoulders, and margins of the wings are black; the whole under surface
and the upper wing-covers are of a beautiful yellowish red; the wing-spot
is white. The wing-quills are black, the lower tail-covers grey, finely
marked with black, and the tail-feathers grey. The eye is reddish yellow,
beak coral-red, and foot pale red. The female has the upper head and nape
brown, the back-feathers blueish grey, the under surface of her body and
the wing-spot white; the fore parts of her breast and sides are grey,
marked with a darker and a lighter shade. After the summer moult the
plumage of the male is very similar to that of the female, but somewhat
more beautiful. The length of this species is from thirty to thirty-two
inches; breadth, forty to forty-two inches; length of wing, twelve inches;
length of tail, three inches.
The Green-headed Goosander inhabits the northern parts of Europe, Asia,
and America, being pretty equally distributed in all these continents:
its migrations, which occur with much greater regularity than those of
the _Mergellus albellus_, extend, on the one hand, to all the southern
countries of Europe, the south of China, and north of India; and on the
other, to the extreme south provinces of the United States. A few pairs
are occasionally known to breed in the Orkneys and Hebrides, but with us
by far the greater number only arrive from the north about the end of
November, and return thither in February. The Green-headed Goosander may
justly be regarded as one of the most beautiful of aquatic birds. With
the exception of a few hours at noon, he is invariably to be seen in
the water. Upon dry land his gait is waddling, and his flight, although
rapid, laboured and heavy; but upon the sea he is quite at home. When
swimming quietly upon the surface he rows himself along with powerful
but slowly-repeated strokes of his broad feet, passing through the water
with tolerable velocity. Should he, however, cast an envious eye upon
some other bird that has caught and is about to swallow a fish he would
fain appropriate, he rushes in pursuit with truly wonderful rapidity. In
diving he is equally adroit, plunging suddenly down without the least
sound or commotion, and in clear water, where his career, as he steers
his course half way between the surface and the bottom can be observed,
his rapid progress seems rather to resemble the movements of a trout than
those of a bird. On occasions he can remain under water for two minutes
at a time; generally, however, he comes up in about a minute, and in this
short period, notwithstanding all the ins and outs of his zigzag course,
will have dived, as shown by the place of his reappearance, upwards of
100 yards. As long as these birds can obtain a sufficient supply, they
subsist exclusively upon fishes, preferring such as are about five or six
inches long, although they are well able to vanquish and swallow those of
much larger size. The breeding-place of these Goosanders is generally in
latitudes very far north, their usual resort being to the Danish islands,
and even still farther north. Their period of incubation commences about
the beginning of June. The nest is constructed in various situations,
often in some excavation in the ground, hidden between stones or bushes,
on the tops of pollard willows, on the lofty eyries of birds of prey, in
the deserted nests of Crows, or within the cavities of hollow trees. At
Jana-Elf we saw large chests, resembling dove-cots, upon all the tallest
trees; these we were told were intended specially to induce the Goosanders
to build their nests, and lay their eggs in them. These breeding-boxes are
likewise in common use among the Lapps and Finns, and, as we learned, were
regularly visited by the breeding birds.
[Illustration: THE GREEN-HEADED GOOSANDER (_Mergus merganser_).]
The nest itself is more or less artistically constructed of twigs, stalks,
straw-grass, leaves, and similar materials, always well and warmly lined
with down. The brood consists of from eight to fourteen eggs, but by
regularly abstracting them as they are laid, the female will sometimes
produce double those numbers. The eggs are well-shaped, rather elongate,
slightly shining, and of a delicate greenish brown, grey, or dirty
olive-green colour. Only the female sits, and upon her the guardianship
of the young brood almost entirely devolves. Such as are born in nests
placed at a considerable height, must necessarily be brought by her to
the surface of the ground, but we are not aware that any naturalist has
witnessed such a proceeding. It is just possible that, like some Ducks
and Geese, they may leap from the nest trusting to their fluttering wings
and thick downy covering to come off scatheless. Were we to judge by the
observations we have had opportunities of making relative to the breeding
of the Red-breasted Merganser (_Mergus serrator_), we should say that the
young brood at first comport themselves exactly like young Ducks; soon,
however, their natural peculiarities and special endowments begin to show
themselves, and after the lapse of about eight days, they adopt the habits
of their race. When first hatched they live upon small crustaceans and
larvæ, caught upon the surface of the water, but on the third day are
able to dive, and from the eighth day are quite capable of fishing for
themselves. They grow very rapidly, and soon become independent. According
to Naumann the instinct for brooding is so strong in these birds, that if
robbed of their eggs, they will take possession of the nest of a Duck, and
after forcibly driving away its owner, will sit upon her eggs till they
are hatched.
[Illustration]
THE SEA-FLIERS (_Longipennes_).