200 MERGANSERIN^. 



bronchi wide, and of about twenty half rings. The muscles 

 as in the Anatinse. 



The eyes are rather small, the eyelids feathered. The 

 nostrils oblong, sub-medial, in the fore part of the oblong 

 nasal sinus, which is covered by the soft membrane of the 

 bill. The apertures of the ears are extremely small. 



The legs are short, and placed far behind ; the tibia bare 

 for a very short space ; the tarsi very short, much compressed, 

 stout ; the toes four, of which the first, very small, elevated, 

 and arched, has a lobiform membrane, the anterior long, and 

 scutellate, the inner with a two-lobed membrane, the outer a 

 little shorter than the third ; the interdigital membranes 

 full, and concave on the margin. The claws are small, little 

 arched, compressed, that of the third toe rather depressed 

 toward the end, which is rounded. 



The plumage is moderately full, firm, and glossy ; the 

 feathers curved, with a small down-plumule. There is a 

 general covering of fine down. All the species have the fea- 

 thers of the hind head and nape elongated into a crest in both 

 sexes ; and in the males the feathers of the head and upper 

 neck are small, blended, and silky. The wings are short, of 

 moderate breadth, convex, pointed ; the first primary longest ; 

 the inner secondaries elongated and tapering. The tail is 

 short, much rounded, of from fourteen to eighteen stiffish 

 tapering feathers. 



Grey, white, and black are the predominant colours in 

 the males ; grey, brown, white, and reddish-brown in the 

 females and young. There is a speculum on the wing, as in 

 the Ducks. The males, which are larger than the females, 

 assume in summer somewhat of the appearance of the 

 females. 



The Mergansers frequent lakes and rivers, as well as 

 occasionally the sea. They swim and dive with great ease 

 and rapidity, feed on fishes, and other aquatic animals, as 

 reptiles and Crustacea — never, I believe, using vegetable 

 substances, although fragments of quartz are generally found 

 in their gizzards. They are extremely voracious, their diges- 

 tion being rapid, and, like other piscivorous birds, they some- 

 times gorge to excess, although, when apprehensive of danger. 



