SMEW 157 
sembles the adult female plumage, but distinguished by the 
slate-grey markings on the breast and flanks. 
Adult female nuptial—Head and neck, reddish-brown ; 
there is a distinct black bar across the wing. The plumage 
bears a general resemblance to that of the female Goosander, 
but the back and scapulars are brown in the Merganser, 
rather than ash-grey. 
Adult winter, male and female.—Similar to the respective 
nuptial plumages. 
Immature, male and female—Resembles the female 
plumage. 
Beak. Red; shaped like that of the Goosander. 
FEET. Deep orange-red. 
Ir1DeEs. Red. 
AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 
TOTAL LENGTH ... ... 24 in. Female smaller. 
WING Aes bie wa) COD aes 
BEAK as 2 Or 
TARSO-METATARSUS oem 
ere: Zoe Mean 
SMEW. WMergus albellus (Linneus). 
Coloured Figures.—Gould, ‘ Birds of Great Britain,’ vol. v, pl. 
37; Dresser, ‘Birds of Europe,’ vol. vii, pls. 454, 455; 
Lilford, ‘ Coloured Figures,’ vol. vii, pl. 60; Booth, 
‘Rough Notes,’ vol. iii, pl. 14. 
The Smew, the smallest of the Mergansers, annually 
resorts to British waters, though nowhere along our coasts can 
it be considered numerous. It is most frequently met with 
off the east coast of England and Scotland. It probably 
occurs annually in Ireland, yet it has not very often come 
under the notice of ornithologists in that country. It 
is partial to both fresh and salt water, and generally appears 
during or after severe wintry weather; after a gale it should 
be looked for on large sheets of fresh water. The late Mr. 
E. Williams informed me that he purchased immature 
and female birds in the Dublin markets, which were 
taken during rough weather, on inland waters. In the 
spring this species returns to northern latitudes to breed. 
Few birds make a more handsome and effective show for 
museum-purposes than a well set-up adult male Smew in 
