MERGANSER. GOOSANDER. 205 



space. Eyes rather small. External aperture of the ear 

 extremely small. 



The body large, elongated, elliptical, depressed ; the neck 

 long ; the head moderate, oblong, anteriorly narrowed. The 

 legs very short, and placed far behind; tarsus very short, 

 stout, compressed, covered with small angular scales, ante- 

 riorly with a series of small scutella, and a short outer series. 

 Toes four, the first very small, elevated, and lobate ; the 

 anterior long, the inner with a bilobate membrane, the third 

 lonsrest, but the outer little shorter, all scutellate in their 

 whole length ; the interdigital membranes full. Claws small, 

 slightly arcuate, compressed, rather acute, that of the third 

 toe a little enlarged internally, depressed toward the end, 

 which is rounded. 



Plumage moderately full, firm, glossy, more or less 

 blended ; feathers of the head and neck small and narrow, 

 on the occiput and nape elongated and slender. Scapulars 

 and inner secondaries elongated. Wings short, of moderate 

 breadth, acuminate, with twenty-six quills ; primaries stifiish, 

 tapering, the first longest. Tail small, much rounded, of 

 eighteen stifiish, tapering, but rounded feathers. 



Piscivorous, swimming, and diving birds. The general 

 habits already given. 



Although the determination of the tail-feathers is not 

 particularly difficult, it seems on this, as well as on some 

 other occasions, to have sadly puzzled the ornithologists. 

 Thus, Mr. Jenyns, in his generic character of Mergus, says 

 " tail of twelve feathers." Mr. Selby says of Mergus Ser- 

 rator, " tail composed of sixteen feathers ;" and of Mergus 

 cucullatus, " tail composed of fourteen feathers." Montagu, 

 in speaking of the Goosander and Dundiver, says, " we can 

 speak with certainty as to the Dundiver having twenty." 

 Mr. Ord says the Goosander has " eighteen feathers " in the 

 tail ; and Wilson gives the Hooded Merganser " twenty 

 feathers," which, perhaps, may be the reason why Mr. Mudie 

 has done the same. In Mr. Audubon's Ornithological Bio- 

 gi-aphy, Mergus Merganser and Mergus Serrator are said to 

 have eighteen, Mergus cucullatus and Mergus Albellus six- 

 teen. Now, the true state of the case is this : — Mergus 



