Page:Cassell's book of birds (IA cassellsbookofbi04breh).pdf/199

 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.

(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