632 



BRITISH BIRDS. 



grass, -nhilst others were under the shelter of overhanging rocks. They 

 were lined with dry grass, and all, except the one containing two eggs, 

 were plentifully lined with down. The birds sat so close that he caught 

 two of them upon their eggs. 



The Red-breasted Merganser is a slightly smaller bird than the 

 Goosander. The adult male in nuptial plumage has the entire head and 

 upper neck glossy black with green and purj)le reflections, and the feathers 

 of the crown and nape are elongated into a very conspicuous crest. A 

 white collar, divided by a black line down the back of the neck, is abruptly 

 defined from the lower neck and upper breast, which are buff streaked 

 with black. The rest of the underparts are white, vermiculated with black 

 on the flanks, but some of the under wing-coverts are broAvn. A peculiar 

 patch of feathers on the sides of the breast are white, margined with black ; 

 the mantle, innermost and longest scapulars are black ; the lower back 

 and rump are white, vermiculated with black ; the uj)per tail-eoverts and 

 tail are nearly uniform brown; the outermost scapulars are white; the 

 lesser wing-coverts and shorter innermost secondaries are brown ; the 

 median and greater wing-covcrts are white, tipped with black, forming two 

 black bars across the wing; the primaries and the first few secondaries are 

 brown, the middle secondaries are white, and the innermost secondaries 

 are white with narrow black margins. Bill vermilion, black at the tip ; 

 legs and feet orange ; irides red. Adult females and young in first plumage 

 so closely resemble birds in similar plumage of the Goosander that they 

 can only be distinguished by their smaller size ; they measure in length 

 of wing 8;^ to 9 inches instead of 9^ to 10| inches. Males in first nuptial 

 dress have brown lower backs, and the white on the sides and back of the 

 neck is streaked with brown. Males in moulting-dress closely resemble 

 males in first plumage, but have the dark markings on the breast and 

 flanks slate-grey instead of brown. Young in down are dark brown on the 

 upper parts, shading into reddish brown on the head, and into chestnut on 

 the sides of the neck ; there is a patch of white on each wing, one on each 

 side of the upper back, and one on each side of the I'ump. The under- 

 parts are pure white, and the lores are white, margined above and below 

 with dark brown. 



