ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



BRITISH BIRDS 



ORDER ANSERIFORMES (Vol. ii. p. 223: continued). 

 FAMILY ANATID^ (Vol. ii. p. 224 : continued). 



THE DIVING DUCKS. SUB-FAMILY FULIGULIN^E. 



These Ducks are distinguished by Count Salvadori by the 

 character of the hind-toe being furnished with a very broad 

 lobe. Four Sub-families have this peculiarity : viz., the Soft- 

 tailed Diving Ducks {Fuligulince)^ the Stiff-tailed Diving Ducks 

 {Erismaturi7icc), the Torrent-Ducks {Merganettince)^ and the 

 Mergansers i^Mergince). Of these the first and the last have 

 British representatives. All the Diving Ducks appear to have 

 a post-nuptial plumage, when the males become more or les? 

 like the females, during the time that they moult their quills. 

 Unfortunately for the purposes of the present work, they are sa 

 seldom shot during this period, that I have, in the National 

 Collection, no specimens from which to describe these changes. 



THE RED-CRESTED POCHARDS. GENUS NETTA. 



Netta^ Kaup, Natiirl. Syst. p. 102 (1829). 



The single species which comprises this genus is remarkable 

 for its very full crest, and for the prominent indentations of 

 the upper mandible. It belongs to the section of the Divin 

 Ducks which have a ^'mirror" on the wing, the primaries not 

 being uniform dark brown or blackish, but partly whitish, with 

 the tip brown (cf. Salvadori, toni. cit. p. 326), 



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