wards with the rapidity of an arrow, he dimly perceives the
Hooded Mergansers sweeping past. Five or six, perhaps
ten, there are; with quick beats of their pinions, they fly low
over the waters in wide circles. Now they have spied the
entrance of a creek ; they shoot into it, and in a few seconds
you hear the rushing noise which they make as they alight oft
the bosom of the still pool. ...Up the creek they proceed,
washing their, bodies by short plunges, and • splashing the
water about them. Now they dive for minnows, which they
find in abundance, and which no doubt prove delicious" food
to the hungry travellers. At length having satisfied their
appetite, they, rise on wing, fly low over the creek with
almost incredible velocity, return to the broad stream, *rove
along its margin until they “meet with a clean sand-beach,
where they alight, and where, secure from danger,, they repose
until the return of day. This bird ranges throughout
the United States during winter,, content with the food it
meets with in the bays and estuaries of the eastern coast; and
on the inland streams. The dam of'the Pennsylvania miller
is as agreeable to it as that of the Uarolina rice-planter ;
even the numerous streams and pools of the^nterior of the
Floridas are resorted to by this species, and ,|here I have
found them full of life and gaiety, .as-well as on the Missouri,
and on our great lakes. When the- weather proves too cold
for them they go southwards, many of them removing towards
Mexico.-
“ The Hooded Merganser is a most expert diver, and so
vigilant that at times it escapes even from the best percussion
gun. As to shooting at it with a flint-lock, you nriiy save
yourself the trouble, unless you prevent it from seeing the
flash of the pan. I f you wound Orie, never follow i t ; the
bird, when its strerigth is almost exhausted, immerses its
body, raises the point of its bill above the surface, and iri
this manner makes its way among the plants, until finding
some safe retreat along the shore, it betakes itself to it, and
there remains, so that you may search for it in vain, unless
you have a good dog. Even on wing it is not easily shot.
I f oh a creek ever so narrow, it will fly directly towards its
mouth, although yon may be standing knee-deep in the.
middle. It comes up like a ball, rises and passes over head
With astonishing speed, and if you shoot at it, do not calculate
upon a hit. You may guess how many one may shoot
in a day A
“ Like all the rest of the tribe, which, when far north, for
the want of hollow trees, breed on the moss or ground, the
Hooded Mergansers that remain with us nestle in the same
kind of, holes or hollows as thb Wood Ducks; at least I
have found their nests in such situations seven or eight times,
although I never saw one of them alight on the branch of
a tree, as the birds just mentioned are wont to do. They
dive as it were directly into their wooden burrows, where,
oft a few dried weeds and feathers of different kinds, with a
small quantity of down from the breast of the female, the
eggs are deposited. They are from five to eight, measure
one inch and three-fourths, by one and three-eighths, and in
other respects perfectly resemble those of the Red-breasted
Merganser.. The eggs are laid in May, and are hatched
some time in June. The young, like those of the Wood
Duck, are conveyed to the water by their mother, who carries
them gently in her bill; for the male takes no part in providing
for his offspring, but abandons his mate as soon as incubation
has commenced. The affectionate mother leads her
young among the tall rank grasses which fill the shallow
pools, or the borders of creeks, and teaches them to procure
snails, tadpoles, and insects. On two occasions the parents
would not abandon the young, although I expected that the
noises which I made would have induced them to do so;
they both followed their offspring into the net which I had
set for them. The young all died in two days, when I restored
the old birds to liberty.