8 BULLETIN 126, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



neck, and back, are rich deep "bister" or "warm sepia," relieved 

 by the white edging of the wing and a large white spot on each side of 

 the rump; the sides of the head and neck are "mikado brown" or 

 "pecan brown", shading off on the neck to "light vinaceous cinna- 

 mon" or "buff pink;" a pure white stripe extends from the lores to 

 a point below the eyes and it is bordered above and below by dark- 

 brown stripes; the rest of the lower parts are pure white. The nos- 

 tril is in the central third of the bill, instead of in the basal third, 

 as in the red-breasted merganser. 



Tn the juvenal plumage, which is acquired at about the time that 

 the young bird attains its growth, the sexes are practically indis- 

 tinguishable except that the male is slightly larger. This plumage 

 is similar to that of the adult female except that, in the young bird, 

 the white throat extends down to the chest, whereas, in the adult 

 female, the lower throat is brown. The wing pattern is also differ- 

 ent in young males, which have the outer secondaries white and the 

 inner secondaries gray. During the fall and winter an almost con- 

 tinual molt is in progress, black feathers appearing in the head and 

 neck, producing a mottled effect, and vermiculated feathers appearing 

 in the flanks. The tail is renewed in the spring but not the wings. 

 The first postnuptial molt, which can hardly be said to involve an 

 eclipse plumage, takes place in August and September; this molt is 

 complete and is prolonged through October at least; by November, 

 when the bird is nearly a year and a half old, the adult plumage is 

 complete. 



Millais (1913) says: 



In May the adult male goosander begins to assume its eclipse plumage. The 

 adult male in August has the crown reddish brown, with a gray tinge; chin white, 

 and the rest of the head and upper neck rich red brown. There ia a black mark in 

 front of the eye, and a whitish line from this to the lower angle of the upper mandi- 

 ble. The lower neck is blue gray, interspersed with creamy white; mantle, flanks, 

 scapulars, back, and tail blue gray; the flanks have a few white feathers on the outer 

 sides, vermiculated with brownish gray; the last inner secondaries only change from 

 black to black; wings as in winter, and now changing as usual only once; under 

 parts not so rosy as in winter. In early September the wings and tail are renewed, 

 and the black feathers on the mantle come in. After this the wliole plumage pro- 

 ceeds to molt slowly, the full winter dress not being assumed until early December. 



Subsequent molts of adult males consist of a postnuptial molt of 

 the contour feathers early in the summer into the eclipse plumage, a 

 molt of the flight feathers in August or September, and a complete 

 molt of the contour feathers out of the eclipse plumage in the fall. 

 Females probably do not make the double molt of the contour 

 feathers but have a complete molt in the late summer. 



Food. — -The merganser is primarily a fishing duck, at which it is 

 very skillful and a voracious feeder. It pursues under water and 

 catches successfully the swiftest fish. Often a party of sheldrakes 



