The Mergansers. 399 



The lower part of the mantle and the 

 upper back, together with the long inner 

 scapulars, are deep black. The lower back, 

 the rump and the upper tail-coverts are 

 ashy grey with dark shafts. The tail- 

 feathers are ashy brown with black shafts. 

 The winglet, or small quills on the edge 

 of the wing, are black. The upper wing- 

 coverts along the edge of the wing, and 

 those next the white scapulars, are grey 

 mottled with black. The remaining upper 

 wing-coverts are pure white ; the larger, 

 lower series with concealed black bases. 

 The primaries have the inner web drab, 

 its tip and the whole outer web dark 

 brown or blackish. The first four second- 

 aries have the outer web black, the inner 

 brown. The remaining short secondaries 

 are wholly white. The long inner second- 

 aries are white with a black margin, the 

 last one with the inner web almost entirely 

 black. The two innermost secondaries 

 are uniformly brown. 



The male in post-nuptial plumage 

 resembles the female, but has traces of a 

 black ring round the neck and the normal 

 white wing of the winter plumage. 



The adult female has the chin and 

 throat white tinged with rufous. With 

 this exception, the whole head, the crest 



