ANATIN.E — THE DUCKS — MERGUS. 



n; 



centrally, finely mottled laterally with white-and-black zigzags. Tail slate-gray, with black shafts. 



Bill deep carmine, the culinen black, the nail yellowish; iris carmine; feet bright red. Adult 



female: Head and neck cinnamon-brown, duller or more grayish on the pileum and nape, the crest 



shorter than in the male ; throat and lower parts white, the sides and Hanks ash-gray. Upper 



parts dark ash-gray, the feathers with 



darker shafts ; exposed portion of 



greater coverts and secondaries white, 



the base of the latter black, but sel- 

 dom showing as a narrow bar; pri- 

 maries black. Bill, eyes, and feet as 



in the male, but less intense in color. 



Ymmg : Similar to the adult female, 



hut chin and throat pale reddish, 



instead of pure while, the lower part 



of the neck, and jugulum, brownish 



white, with the feathers mouse-gray 



beneath the surface ; black at base of 



the secondaries exposed, forming a 



narrow bar between two white areas. 



Ihnrnij ijuiiiuj: Above, hair-brown, 



the posterior border of each wing, and /•', mali . 



a large spot on each side of the rump, yellowish-white; lower parts, including the malar region, 



yellowish wdiite ; side of head and neck reddish cinnamon, paler on the lores, which are bordered 



above by a dinky stripe running back to 

 the anterior angle of the eye, and below by 

 a dark brown, rather indistinct, rictal stripe : 



1 111-4 



lower eyelid white. 



Total length, about 20.00 to 25.00 inches ; 

 fg\' extent, 32.00 to 35.00; wing, 8.60-9.00; 



& culinen, 2.50; tarsus. L. 80-1.90; middle 



■sl *">•• 2.40. 





The Red-breasted Merganser ap- 

 pears to be an inhabitant of the whole 

 of the more northerly portions of the 

 northern hemisphere. It is common 

 to North America,, Europe, and Asia. In the latter country it is found as far to the 

 east as ( Ihina and Japan. 



This is far more marine than the larger species, and is principally, but not wholly, 

 confined to the sea-coast, breeding as far south as latitude 45° north, and thence 

 northward to an uncertain extent, varying with the conditions and peculiarities of 

 the localities. It certainly breeds as far north as Alaska, on the Pacific, and Green- 

 land, on the Atlantic coasts, as well as in Iceland and in other extremely northern 

 latitudes. 



This bird is included by Mr. S"winhoe in the fauna of Formosa, and is also given 

 by him as having been found at Amov, China. Temminck mentions it as occtirring 

 in Japan. It is given by Mr. T. L. Powys as not uncommon in winter in Epirus, 

 Albania, and Corfu; and Mr. C. A. Wright ("Ibis," 1864) speaks of this as being a 

 common species at Malta — as much rarer, however, in some years than in others. 

 It arrives there in November, but is present in much larger numbers in December and 

 January, immature birds being more abundant than adults. It is also said by Mr. H. 

 Saunders to occur in Southern Spain in winter, especially on Lake Albufera. 



It was met with on Nova Zembla by Von Heuglin; and was found, mingled with 



