MERGIDA. 417 
longitudinally with blackish-brown. The interscapulary region 
and upper back, the extreme sides of the breast ‘and scapulars, 
velvet-black ; outside the scapulars and between these and the 
wing there is a conspicuous patch of long white feathers; the 
primaries and théir coverts (which latter are darkest), the shoulder 
of the wing and lesser-coverts just above the carpus, blackish- 
brown ; the rest of the lesser and median-coverts pure white ; the 
secondary greater-coverts black, all, except the first three, very 
broadly tipped with white, but leaving a portion of their black 
bases visible below the white median-coverts, thus forming the first 
black bar across the white of the wing; the secondaries are black, 
all, except the first three, very broadly tipped with white; ter- 
tiaries white, conspicuously margined with black, except the last 
three, which are black; axillaries pure white; rest of the lower 
parts white, with, in life, a beautiful salmon or buffy tinge which 
disappears in the skin; flanks white, vermiculated with greyish- 
black; middle and lower back, rump and upper tail-coverts, 
white, with very delicate and close vermiculations of dull black, 
producing a grey effect; tail dull brown; lower wing-coverts 
white. 
The female has the entire crown, occiput and crest brown, with 
more or less of a dull rufous or chesnut tinge, and rather ashy 
towards the forehead ; sides of the head and neck all round pale 
dull brownish chesnut ; chin white ; throat albescent ; breast and 
entire lower parts white or pinkish-white in life, only at the base 
of the throat and crop the grey-brown bases of the feathers show 
through to a certain extent like hidden bars; interscapulary 
region, mantle, lower back, rump and upper tail-coverts brown 3 
most of the feathers with paler margins; quills dusky-black ; 
secondaries and their greater-coverts black, all but the first. three 
broadly tipped with white; tertiaries blackish-dusky, paling 
anteriorly, whitish towards the tip ; the innermost mostly white, 
with a black outer margin ; tail like the back. 
Both sexes trom the above description resemble the Goosander, 
but may be distinguished by their small size, and in proportion 
to their length much thinner bills —Huwme’s Stray Feathers, Vol. 
IX, p. 268. 
The Red-breasted Merganser is a very rare cold weather visi- 
tant to the Mekran and Kurrachee Coast. 
Genus, Mergellus. 
Bill shorter and somewhat wider than in Merqus, the tip much 
less hooked ; teeth numerous and prominent in the lower mandible : 
of small size ; pied, black and white; tail of 16 feathers, 
Mergellus albellus, Zin. 
973.—Jerdon’s Birds of India, Vol. II, p, 818, Butler, Guzerat ; 
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 31; Murray’s Vertebrate Zoology 
of Sind, p.310; Game Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 293. 
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