When

loridas as on the Missouri and great lakes.

of the interior of the I
ling towards Mexico.

e southwards, many proceec
igilant that at times it escapes even from the

the numerous streams and pools
o cold for them they mov
t diver, and so Vv
for the bird, when its strength is almost exhausted,

the weather becomes to

«The Hooded Merganser is a most exper
If you wound one, never follow it ;
pill above the surface, and in this man
‘t there remains, and you may search for it in

best percussion gun.
immerses its body, raises the point of its
the plants until, finding some safe retreat along the shone ;
Even on wing it 1s not easily shot.
ough you may be standing knee-deep in the middle.

« Like all the rest of the genus, which, when far north, breed on the moss or ground, _ Hooded Megansers
t in the same kind of situation as the Wood Duck. They dive as 1t were directly
on a few dried weeds and feathers of different kinds, with a small quantity
They are from five to eight in number,

ner makes its way among

i ood doe If on a creek, ever so narrow, it
vain, unless you have a good dog.

will fly directly towards its mouth, alth

that remain. with us nes
into their wooden burrows, where,
of down from the breast of the female, the eggs
measure one inch and three-fourths by one inch an
those of the Redbreasted Merganser. They are laid in May, and the young are out some time in June.
«The young are conveyed to the water by their mother, who carries them gently in her bill; forthe male
ig, but abandons his mate as soon as incubation bas commenced.
the tall rank grasses which fill the shallow pools or
On two occasions the parents

are deposited.
d three-eighths, and in other respects perfectly resemble

takes no part in providing for her offspri
«The affectionate mother leads her young among

borders of creeks, and teaches them to procure snails, t
, although I expected that the noises I made would have induced them so to

ir offspring into the net I had set for them. The young all died in

adpoles, and insects.

would not abandon the young
do, but in both instances followed the
two days, when I set the old birds at liberty.

“The Hooded Mergansers move with ease on the ground, and even run with speed.
Their notes consist of a kind of

When migrating,
they fly at a great height, in small flocks, without any regard to order.
ated, but by no means musical, resembling the syllables croo, croo, crooh. The

rough grunt, variously modul
The same noise is

female repeats it six or seven times in succession when she sees her young in danger.
made by the male, either when courting on the water, or as he passes on wing near the hole where the
female is laying her eggs.

“The males do not acquire the full beauty of their plumage until the third spring, but resemble the
females for the first year. In the course of the second the crest becomes more developed, and the white
and black markings about the body are more distinct. The third spring it is complete.” '

The male has the forehead brown ; sides of the head and crest black, with a large patch of white in th
centre of the latter ; back and two crescentic marks on each side of the chest black ; scapularies black, with
a stripe of white down the centre 5 flanks marked with undulated lines of yellowish brown and brownish
black ; bill reddish black ; irides golden yellow ; feet yellowish brown, claws dusky.

The female, which is considerably smaller than the male, has the head and crest of a yellowish brown ;
chin whitish, upper part of the neck and the sides of the head greyish brown ; upper surface, wings, tail,
and flanks blackish brown, with paler edges; speculum greyish white; breast and abdomen pale yellowish
brown.

The young resemble the female from their first moult.

The accompanying Plate represents an adult, nearly as large as life, in its summer plumage ; while in the
distance are reduced figures of both sexes at the same period. The plant is the Ranunculus fluviatils.