BUCKS AND BRAKES 407 



States, the male varied with, black, white, and silvery-gray, the bill 

 orange and black. In summer he has much more black than white 

 or silver, with some bright-reddish feathers on the wings. The bill 

 is black and orange ; the eyes are red. 



A Citizen of North America and other parts of the northern 

 hemisphere, never going very far south, and making his summer 

 home in the Arctic regions. He is a noisy, lively, sociable Duck, 

 who has in spring some pleasing notes, so mellow and musical that 

 he may almost be said to sing; but he is not choice or dainty in 

 his food, and the flesh is too rank for House People to eat. He has 

 many absurd names besides " Old Squaw." 



The Hooded Merganser 



Length sixteen and a half to eighteen inches. 



]\Iale : a beautiful black and white crest rising up high in a 

 rounded form, but very thin from side to side, like a hood ironed 

 flat. Head, neck, and back black ; belly and breast white ; sides 

 cinnamon-brown with fine black bars ; a white mirror with black 

 edges on the wing. Bill black, round like a lead-pencil, with a 

 hook at the end, and strong saw-like teeth along the sides; eyes 

 yellow\ 



Female : without any such crest as her mate has, and brown 

 where he is black. 



A Citizen of North America, very handsome and stylish when 

 he is in full dress; but he is a Fishing Duck, and therefore not very 

 good to eat, though not as rank as other Mergansers. Like the 

 Wood Duck, but unlike nearly all other members of the Duck 

 tribe, this iMerganser builds his downy nest in a hollow tree or 

 stump. 



