ANATID.y.. 



509 



Mergix.e. 



SUB-FAMILY VIII. 



TJie Mergansers. 



Gen. Charac. — Bill straight, and much compressed on the sides, with the 

 culmen elevated at the base and convex towards the tip, which is armed 

 with a broad and much-hooked nail, the lateral margins ofboth the mandibles 

 more or less serrated; the wings moderate and pointed; the tail short and 

 rounded ; the tarsi short, and the toes moderate, the outer as long as the 

 middle, the three anterior ones united by a full web, and the hind toe mode- 

 rate, elevated, and margined by a broad web. 



FiG. 199. — THE GOOSANDER. 



{Mergus Merganser.) 



Tlie members of tliis sub-family are distinguished 

 by the narrowness of their bill^ as compared with its 

 lengthy and by the structure of its laminated edges, 

 which assume the form of distinct conical teeth, 

 pointing backwards. The food of the typical species 

 consists principally of fishes, for securing wdiich 

 this form of the bill is admirably adapted. The 



