468 WEB-FOOTED BIRDS. 



New York. It is unnoticed by Vieillot, is very rare in the 

 Middle States to the Prince of Mussignano, as it was to 

 Wilson on the shores of New Jersey : bat the latter adds, 

 probably on mere report, that it was more common on the 

 coast of New England and in some of the lakes in the state 

 of New York ; but in all our researches we have never met 

 with it or heard of it either in Maine or Massachusetts. It 

 was never met with by Richardson or the other naturalists in 

 the fur countries or in Arctic America ; and was not found 

 in Labrador by the indefatigable Audubon ; from all which 

 we are sufficiently led to conclude, that the Smew is in 

 America little more than a straggler. Yet in Europe it ex- 

 tends iis summer migrations as far as Iceland ; and in the 

 Russian empire frequents the same districts as the Goose- 

 ander, and migrates with them and several kinds of ducks 

 up the Wolga as early as February. In winter it is much 

 more common in Britian than any of the other Mergansers. 

 It is also common in Germany, Holland, France, and de- 

 scends as low as Carniola, Italy and Tinos in the Archipe- 

 lago in the course of the winter. The females and young 

 which visit the lakes of Switzerland, are called Ice Ducks, 

 as they do not appear there until the hard frosts commence. 

 They are active divers, and feed on the same prey as the 

 preceding species. They nest in the arctic regions, on the 

 borders of lakes and rivers, laying from 8 to 12 whitish 

 eggs. 



The Smew is about 17 inches in length. In the male there is a 

 large patch of greenish-black on either side of the bill ; a similar, 

 but longitudinal one upon the occiput. A tufted crest. The neck, 

 scapulars, lesser wing coverts, and all the lower parts, pure white. 

 Top of the back, the two crescents advancing upon the sides of the 

 breast, and the borders of the scapulars, deep black. Tail cinereous. 

 Flanks and thighs varied with cinereous zig-zag lines. Bill, tarsus 

 and toes bluish-ash ) the webs black. Iris brown. 



In the /emaZc the summit of the head, cheeks and occiput are of 



