. . ether they are eating flesh, fish or finnan haddie, andI have been credibly informed by some of these enthusiasticcoast gunners that they actually enjoy eating a Sheldrake ortwo in the spring after a hard winter. Since the above was written, my son Lewis E. Forbushhas informed me that he saw a mother Duck with her youngon a pond in Worcester County, Mass., early in June, carried some of the young on her back. He also saysthat he and others saw three Ducks flying about in the neigh-borhood during the summer. From his desc
. . ether they are eating flesh, fish or finnan haddie, andI have been credibly informed by some of these enthusiasticcoast gunners that they actually enjoy eating a Sheldrake ortwo in the spring after a hard winter. Since the above was written, my son Lewis E. Forbushhas informed me that he saw a mother Duck with her youngon a pond in Worcester County, Mass., early in June, carried some of the young on her back. He also saysthat he and others saw three Ducks flying about in the neigh-borhood during the summer. From his description, all thesebirds must have been Mergansers; but he is not positivewhether they were of this species or the next. Under thepresent law, which forbids spring shooting, it is quite prob-able that Sheldrakes will breed in New England in increasingnumbers. 64 GAME BIRDS, WILD-FOWL AND SHORE BIRDS. RED-BREASTED MERGANSER {Mergus serrator). Comnioii or local New England names: Sheldrake; Spring-sheldrake; Shelduck; Shell-bird; Sea Robin; Long Island Female. Male. Length. — 2£ to about 24 inches. Adult Male. — Head dark green (appearing black at a distance); long creston hind head; a broad white ring around neck; upper back black,lower back gray; tail grayish brown; wing mainly white, crossed bytwo black bars; a patch of white black-bordered feathers in front ofwing; flanks barred with fine wavy lines of black; lower neck andupper breast buff or pale cinnamon, streaked with black; below white;iris, bill, legs and feet red. Adult Female and Young.—-Smaller; throat white; rest of head and mostof neck, with a crest on hind head, reddish brown; back and tail slategray; wings darker, when spread showing a white patch; in closedwing this patch is divided by a black bar and bordered by another infront; below white; bill, legs and feet reddish. Field Marks. — The streaked buff breast and the long loose crest on thegreen head distinguish the male. The female has less
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