476 ANATID^. 



MergTia orientalia, OouUl, P. Z. S. 1845, p. 1 (part.)*; G. R. Gr. 

 Cat. Ilodffs. Coll. B. M. p. 147 (Nepal) (1846) : id. Gen. B. App. 

 p. 28 (1849) ; Bp. Ccmpt. Be7id. xliii. p. 0o2, n. 1G8 (1856) ; G. R. 

 Gr. Cat. Hodgs. Coll. B. M. 2nd ed. p. 77 (186.3). 



Mergus castor, Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. A. S. B. p. 308, n. 1798 (part., 

 specim. A, B, D) (1849) ; Jerd. (nee Lin7i.) B. of Ind. iii. p. 817 

 (1864) (N. India) ; G. R. Gr. Hand-list, iii. p. 91, n. 10728 (part.) 

 (1871) ; Hume <^ Anders. Lahore to Yark. p. 297 (Indus) (1873) ; 

 Hume, Str. Feath. i. p. 423 (1873) (Sumbhulpoore, Centr. Prov. of 

 India) ; Barker, Sir. Feath. ii. p. 336 (Bai-ralcur) (1874) ; Ball, 

 ibid. p. 439 (Chota Nagpur) (1874) ; Scullti, Str. Feath. iv. p. 202 

 (Kashgar) (1876); Htime, ibid. p. 496 (Mekran Coast) (1876); 

 Hume, Str. Feath. vii. p. 149 (Ajmore) (187S) ; Ball, ibid. p. 233 

 (India) (1878); Bidd. Sir. Feath. ix. p. 365 (Gilgit) (1880); 

 id. Ibis, 1881, p. 101 (Gilgit). 



Mergus merganser, Dyh. ^ Parrex {nee Linn.), J.f. O. 1868, p. 359 

 (Dauria) (Y); Tacz. J.f. O. 1873, p. 110; Severtz. Turkest. Jevotn. 

 p. 70 (1873); Dresser, Ibis, 1876, p. 421 (Turkestan); Przew. 

 Mongolia, ii. pp. 160, 170, n. 276 (1876) ; id. in Rowl. Orn. 

 Misc. iii. p. 107 (Mongolia) (1878) ; Hume, Str. Feath. \m. p. 115, 

 n. 972 (India) (1879) ; Scully, Str. Feath. viii. pp. -364, 308 (Nepal) 

 { 1879) ; Hume §• Marsh. Game B. of Ind. iii. p. 299, pi. 40 (1882) ; 

 McLeod, Str. Feath. x. p. 168 (Taugrote Ferry) (1887) ; Hrwie, 

 Str. Feath. x'l. p. 347 (Assam) (1888); Crip2>s, ibid. p. 348 

 (Dehing river); Sharpe, Sec. Yark. Miss., Aves, p. 133 (1891); 

 Oust. Ann. Sc. Nat., Zool. (7) xii. p. 318, d. 56 (1892) ; id. Nouv. 

 Arch. Mas. (3) vi. p. 103 (1894). 



Similar to M. castor, but somewhat smaller, the feathers of the 

 crost thinner, narrower, and longer ; the bill usually shorter ; the 

 male has the black edges of the tertials broader, the lower back and 

 rump paler grey and usually much freckled with white : " bill deep 

 red, almost vermilion in some, a cinnabar or deep blood-red iu 

 others ; the nail and a stripe along the culmon, from the nail to the 

 forehead, black ; lower mandible wholly orange ; irides deep red ; 

 legs and feet bright vermilion " (Hume). Total length 25 to 27 

 inches, wing 10-95-11-8, tail from vent 4-80-5-9, culmen 1-90-2-10, 

 tarsias 1-C8-1-80. 



The female differs from that of M. castor in having the head 

 lighter rufous chestnut, with a distinct greyish wash on the upper 

 part ; size somewhat smaller than that of the male. 



Hah. Central Asia, with the Himalayas, where it breeds, 



a. 2 ad. sk. Tanktzo, Afghanistan, Sept. India Museum [P.]. 



{F. Stoliczka). 



b. cS juv. sk. Bala Morghab, Afghanistan, Afghan Delimitation 



Jan. (Aitchison), Comm. [P.]. 



c. cJ ad. St. India. Old CoU.t 



* Under the name of M. orientalis, Gould described a female from Amoy, 

 which I do not think different from M. castor ; at the same time he said, " I be- 

 lieve a male of this bird is in the British Museum." The latter bird is still in 

 the Museum, and no doubt it belongs to the Central Asiatic and Indian form. 



t This is the male bird mentioned by Gould iu his description of M. orientalis, 

 P. Z. S. 1845, p. 2 ; the female from Amoy, belonging to M. castor, is to be taken 

 as the type of M. orientalis. 



