526 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 



The Mergince, or Fishing Ducks, are represented in the United States by three 

 well-established species, placed by modern svstematists in as many genera. Two 

 of these, however, are so nearly alike that I prefer to consider them as the same: the 

 third is sufficiently distinct. 



MERGUS, LixNN^us. 



Merijus, Linn^us, Syst. Nat. (1735). (Type M. castor, L.) 



Bill longer than the head, mostly red; serrations conical, acute, recurved; crest 



occipital, pointed, or depressed; tarsus about two-thirds the middle toe; tail about 



half the length of wings. 



MERGUS SERRATOIl. — LimuBus. 



The Red-breasted Merganser. 



Mergus serralor, Linnanis. Syst. Nat., L (1766) 208. Wils. Am. Cm., VIIL 

 (1814) 81. Nutt. Man., IL (1834) 463. Aud. Orn. Biog., V. (1839) 92. lb., Birds 

 Am., VL (1843) 395. 



Description. 



Feathers of the forehead extending on the bill in a short obtuse angle, and fall- 

 ing far short of the end of those on the sides; the outline of the latter sloping rapidly 

 forwards, and reaching half-way from the posterior end of the lower edge of bill to 

 the nostrils, and far beyond those on the side of lower jaw; nostrils narrow, pos- 

 terior ; their posterior outline opposite the end of basal third of commissure. 



Male. — Head with conspicuous pointed occipital crest ; head and upper part of 

 neck, all around, dark-green; under parts reddish-white; jugulum reddish-brown, 

 streaked with black ; sides conspicuously barred transverselj' with fine lines of black ; 

 feathers anterior to wing white, margined with black; white of wing crossed by two 

 bars of black ; iris red. 



Female. — Head with compressed occipital crest; chestnut-brown; body above 

 ash; beneath reddish-white ; the black at base of secondaries exposed; outer tertials 

 white, edged with black. 



Length, twenty-three and twenty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, eight and 

 sixty one-hundredths; tarsus, one and eighty one-hundredths; commissure, two 

 and seventj'-six one-hundredths inches. 



jjab. — Whole of North America and Europe. 



This species is quite abundant on our coast in the autumn 

 and winter months. It does not appear to be gregarious to 

 a great extent ; for seldom more than three or four individu- 

 als are observed together. It is an expert diver, swimming 

 to a great distance beneath the water at the least alarm, 

 and, when appearing at the surface, usually only thrusting 

 its head out to reconnoitre. I have seen it swimming, with 

 only the bill and upper part of its head above water, in the 



