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526 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
The Mergine, or Fishing Ducks, are represented in the United States by three 
well-established species, placed by modern systematists in as many genera. Two 
of these, however, are so nearly alike that I prefer to consider them as the same: the 
third is sufficiently distinct. 
MERGUS, Linn us. 
Mergus, Linn.xvs, Syst. Nat. (1735). (Type M. castor, L.) 
Bill longer than the head, mostly red; serrations conical, acute, recurved; crest 
occipital, pointed, or depressed; tarsus about two-thirds the middle toe; tail about 
half the length of wings. 
MERGUS SERRATOR. — Linneus. 
The Red-breasted Merganser. 
Mergus serrator, Linneus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 208. Wils. Am. Orn., VIII. 
(1814) 81. Nutt. Man., II. (1834) 463. Aud. Orn. Biog., V. (1839) 92. Jd., Birds 
Am., VI. (1848) 395. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Feathers of the forehead extending on the bill in a short obtuse angle, and fall- 
ing far short of the end of those on the sides; the outline of the latter sloping rapidly 
forwards, and reaching half-way from the posterior end of the lower edge of bill to 
the nostrils, and far beyond those on the side of lower jaw; nostrils narrow, pos- 
terior; their posterior outline opposite the end of basal third of commissure. 
Male. — Head with conspicuous pointed occipital crest; head and upper part of 
neck, all Around, dark-green; under parts reddish-white; jugulum reddish-brown, 
streaked with black; sides conspicuously barred transversely with fine lines of black ; 
feathers anterior to wing white, margined with black; white of wing crossed by two 
bars of black; iris red. 
Female. — Head with compressed occipital crest; chestnut-brown; body above 
ash; beneath reddish-white; the black at base of secondaries exposed; outer tertials 
white, edged with black. 
Length, twenty-three and twenty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, eight and 
sixty one-hundredths; tarsus, one and eighty one-hundredths; commissure, two 
and seventy-six one-hundredths inches. 
Hab. — Whole of North America and Europe. 
This species is quite abundant on our coast in the autumn 
and winter months. It does not appear to be gregarious to 
a great extent; for seldom more than three or four individu- 
als are observed together. It is an expert diver, swimming 
to a great distance beneath the water at the least alarm, 
and, when appearing at the surface, usually only thrusting 
its head out to reconnoitre. I have seen it swimming, with 
only the bill and upper part of its head above water, in the 
