ANATIX.E — THE DUCKS — MERGUS. 



117 



centrally, finely mottled laterally with white-aiid-bkck zigzags. Tail slate-gray, with blaclc shafts. 

 Bill deep carmine, the culmen black, the nail yellowish ; iris carmine; feet bright red. Adult 

 female: Head and neck cinnamon-brown, dnller ormore grayish on the pileum and nape, the crest 

 shorter than in the male ; throat and lower parts white, the sides and flanks ash-gray. Upper 

 parts dark ash-gray, the feathers with 



darker shafts ; exposed portion of ^^_. _ _^ 



greater coverts and secondaries white, 

 the base of the latter black, but sel- 

 dom showing as a narrow bar ; pri- 

 maries black. Bill, eyes, and feet as 

 in the male, but less intense in color. 

 Young : Similar to the adult female, 

 but chill and throat pale reddish, 

 instead of pure white, the lower part 

 of the neck, and jugulum, brownish 

 white, with the feathers mouse-gray 

 beneath the surface ; black at base of 

 the secondaries exposed, forming a 

 narrow bar between two white areas. 

 Doivnij young : Above, hau'-brown, 

 the posterior border of each wing, and Female. 



a large spot on each side of the rump, yellowish-white ; lower parts, including the malar region, 

 yellowish white ; side of head and neck reddish cinnamon, jialer on the lores, which are bordered 



above by a dusky stripe running back to 



the anterior angle of the eye, and below by 



a dark brown, rather indistinct, rictal stripe ; 



lower eyelid white. 



Total length, about 20.00 to 25.00 inches ; 



extent, 32.00 to 35.00 ; wing, 8.60-9.00 ; 



culmen, 2.50; tarsus, 1.80-1.90; middle 



toe, 2.40. 



The Eed-breasted Merganser ap- 

 pears to be an inhabitant of the whole 

 of the more northerly portions of the 

 northern hemisphere. It is common 

 to ]S"orth America, Europe, and Asia. In the Latter country it is found as far to the 

 east as China and Japan. 



This is far more marine than the larger species, and is principally, but not wholly, 

 confined to the sea-coast, breeding as far south as latitude 45° north, and thence 

 northward to an uncertain extent, varying with the conditions and peculiarities of 

 the localities. It certainly breeds as far north as Alaska, on the Pacific, and Green- 

 land, on the Atlantic coasts, as well as in Iceland and in other extremely northern 

 latitudes. 



This bird is included by lSh\ Swinhoe in the fauna of Formosa, and is also given 

 by him as having been found at Amoy, China. Temminck mentions it as occurring 

 in Japan. It is given by Mr. T. L. Pow^ys as not uncommon in winter in Epirus, 

 Albania, and Corfu ; and Mr. C. A. Wright (" Ibis," 1864) speaks of this as being a 

 common species at Malta — as much rarer, however, in some years than in others. 

 It arrives there in November, but is present in much larger numbers in December and 

 January, immature birds being more abundant than adults. It is also said by Mr. H. 

 Saunders to occur in Southern Spain in winter, especially on Lake Albufera. 



It was met with on Nova Zembla by Von Heuglin ; and was found, mingled with 



Pallus. 



