GOOSANDER. 55 



ganser, the Hooded and the Smew, all of whose females are well known, 

 and bear the same comparative resemblance in color to their respective 

 males, the length of crest excepted, as the female Goosander we have 

 figured bears to him. 



Having thought thus much necessary on this disputed point, I leave 

 each to form his own opinion on the facts and reasoning produced, and 

 proceed to describe the female. 



MERGUS. MERGANSER. 

 GOOSANDER. 



[Plate LXVIII. Fig. 2, Female.] 



Dun Diver, Lath. Stjyi. iii., p. 420. — Arct. Zool. No. 465. — Berwick's Brit. Birds, 

 II., p. 23. — TuRT. Si/st. p. 335. — L' Harle femelle, Buiss. vi., p. 236. — Buff, nil., 

 p. 212.— PL Enl. 903.* 



This generally measures an inch or two shorter than the male ; the 

 length of the present specimen was twenty-five inches, extent thirty-five 

 inches ; bill crimson on the sides, black above ; irides reddish ; crested 

 head and part of the neck dark brown, lightest on the sides of the neck, 

 where it inclines to a sorrel color ; chin and throat white ; the crest 

 shoots out in long radiating flexible stripes ; upper part of the body, 

 tail, and flanks an ashy slate, tinged with brown ; primaries black ; 

 middle secondaries white, forming a large speculum on the wing ; greater 

 coverts black, tipped for half an inch with white ; sides of the breast, 

 from the sorrel colored part of the neck downwards, very pale ash, with 

 broad semicircular touches of white ; belly and lower part of the breast 

 a fine yellowish cream color, a distinguishing trait also in the male ; 

 legs and feet orange red. 



* Mergus Castor, Gmel. Syst. i., p. 545, et var. — Lath. Ind. Orn. p. 829, No. 2. — 

 Dun Diver, Montagu, Orn. Diet. Sup. 



