290 ANATID.E. 



diving, which its serrated beak, with the horny nail depend- 

 ing at a right angle from the upper mandible, enables it to 

 catch and hold with certainty. M. Temminck says this spe- 

 cies is abundant on the shores of Holland, and sometimes on 

 the marshes of the interior ; it is found also in Germany, 

 Switzerland, Provence, and Italy. According to M. Tem- 

 minck birds from Japan exactly resenible European examples. 



The Red-breasted Merganser is found in Greenland, New- 

 foundland, and Hudson's Bay. Dr. Richardson obtained 

 specimens in the fur-countries of North America ; and in- 

 teresting accounts of its habits in the United States are given 

 by the ornithologists of those countries. 



In the adult male the upper mandible is dark reddish- 

 brown, except the edges, which are of a brighter red, under 

 mandible wholly red ; irides red ; all the head and the upper 

 part of the neck dark, but shining green, the feathers on the 

 crown and occiput elongated ; middle of neck all round 

 white, except a narrow line of black descending from the 

 occiput to the upper part of the back, which, with the shoul- 

 ders, is also black ; the short scapulars Avhite, those more 

 elongated are black ; before the point of the wing on each 

 side are several roundish white feathers, margined with broad 

 and rich velvet-black ; point of the wing dark brown ; small 

 wing-coverts white ; great coverts and secondaries black at 

 the base, the outer halves white, forming with the smaller 

 coverts three conspicuous white bands on the wing ; primary 

 quill-feathers brownish-black ; tertials Avhite, edged with 

 black ; loAver portion of the back, the sides, flanks, rump, 

 and upper tail-coverts grey ; tail-feathers stiff, rather pointed, 

 and of a uniform brownish-ash colour ; lower part of the neck 

 on the front and sides pale chestnut-brown, streaked, and 

 otherwise varied with black ; breast, belly, and under tail- 

 coverts white ; legs and toes reddish-orange, the membranes 

 darker reddish-brown. The whole length full twenty-two 



