HOODED MERGANSER, 465 



about often in the greatest silence, with its bill only elevated 

 above the water for respiration. In the winter, while here, 

 they frequent the bays and estuaries as well as fresh waters, 

 and feed as usual on fry and shell-fish. 



The length of the Red-Breasted Merganser appears to vary 

 from 21 to 25^ inches in the male ; the female is more than 4 inches 

 shorter. The bill above, in the male is 2 inches 4^ lines ; in the 

 female 2 inches. Tarsus 1 inch 10 lines ; in the female 1 inch 7 

 lines. In the male the head is furnished with a long crest of slender 

 feathers, which together with a part of the neck is black, glossed 

 with green ; the neck below, pure white, ending in a broad space of 

 brown approaching to buff spotted with black, which extends over 

 the lower part of the neck and sides of the breast. Shoulders, back 

 and tertiaries, deep velvety black, the first marked with a number of 

 roundish white spots. Scapulars white. Wing coverts mostly 

 white, crossed by two narrow bands of black. Primaries black ; 

 secondaries white ; several of the latter edged with black. Lower 

 part of the back, rump, and tail coverts, grey speckled with black. 

 Sides under the wings waved with black. Belly and vent white, 

 Tail dusky ash. Legs and feet brownish-orange. Bill orange on 

 the sides and beneath ; dark above. Irids red. 



The female is under two feet long, similar with that of the pre- 

 ceding species, but differing in the form of the line of junction of 

 the plumage of the forehead with the bill, and in the black bar cross- 

 ing the speculum on the bases of the secondaries and extreme tips of 

 the greater coverts. It is also several inches smaller. 



HOODED MERGANSER. 



(Mergus cucullatus, Linn. Lath. Ind. Orn. p. 830. sp. 5. Wilson. 

 viii. p. 79. pi. 69. fig. 1. [male.] Bonap. Syn. No. 349. Rich. 

 and Swains. North. Zool. ii. p. 463. Hooded Merganser, Penn. 

 Arct. Zool. ii. No. 467. The Round-crested Duck, Edwards, pi. 

 360. Catesby. 1. pi. 94. Harle couronni, Buff. PI. Enlum. 935. 

 [male.] and 936. [female.] Phil. Museum, No. 2930. [male.] and 

 2931. [female.]) 



