208 MERGANSER CASTOR. 



before, grey hehind ; the lower fore neck, breast, sides and 

 abdomen pinkish-biiff- colour, sides of the rump U7ididated with 

 grey and ichite ; outer scapidars, iving- coverts, and secondary 

 quills ichite. Female with the crest longer and more slender ; 

 the bill and feet of a didler tint / the head and upper neck 

 light reddish-brown, the throat whitish, the lower neck pale- 

 grey, the feathers edged with tchite, the breast and abdomen 

 white, the sides grey ; the upper parts deep ash-grey, as are the 

 smaller iving-coverts ; some of the secondary quills and their 

 coverts ichite unless at the base. Young similar to the female. 



Male in Winter. — This beautiful bird, the largest of 

 its family, on which account probably it has obtained the 

 name of Goosander, has the body of an elongated elliptical 

 form, and much depressed, although stout ; the neck rather 

 long and thick ; the head rather large, ovato-oblong, narrowed 

 anteriorly. 



The bill is about the length of the head, rather stout and 

 higher than broad at the base, tapering, beyond the middle 

 slender and cylindrical. The upper mandible with its dorsal 

 line declinate and somewhat concave to the middle, then 

 straight and slightly ascending to the unguis, which is ob- 

 long, convex, abruptly decurved in the middle, the ridge 

 broad, flattened, and little narrowed to the middle, where it 

 becomes convex, the nasal sinus narrow, oblong, sub-basal, 

 with a groove running from its anterior part to the side of the 

 unguis, the limbs very slender, convex, the edges with thirty- 

 six narrow, tapering, acuminate, dentiform lamellije, directed 

 backwards. The lower mandible slender, Avith the inter- 

 crural space very long, pointed, anteriorly a mere groove, the 

 crura with their lower outline gently rearcuate, the sides con- 

 vex below, longitudinally grooved above, the unguis ellipti- 

 cal, convex, with a broad median groove, the edges inclinate, 

 with about forty compressed, tapering, acute serriform 

 lamellae. 



The mouth, although narrow, is dilatable to an inch and 

 three-fourths. The palate flat, anteriorly with a median 

 serrulate elevated line, and on each side a series of small, 

 acute lamellse, besides those of the margin. The tongue, two 



