258 BRITISH BIRDS 



Smew. 

 Mergus alhellus. 



Forehead, crown, with crest, thro.it, neck, and under parts satin- 

 white ; a black patch before and below the eve. and a greenish black 

 triangular patch on the crest; back black, with a crescentic mottled 

 band of the same colour stretching over each side of the shoulders. 

 and another in front of each wing ; scapulars white margined with 

 black; lesser wing-coverts white; greater coverts black, wit li t\\<> 

 narrow white bars; wing- and tail-feathers blackish brown; flanks 

 vermiculated with grey; bill, legs, and feet lead-colour. Length, 

 seventeen inches. Female: head reddish brown ; collar ash-gre\ ; 

 rest of the plumage much as in the male. In June the male 

 assumes the female plumage, which is retained until the autumn. 



The smew, or nun, as it is sometimes called, is usually placed 

 among the irregular visitors to the British Islands, and hardly 

 comes within the scope of this book ; but there is reason to believe 

 that it is present every winter, although sometimes in very small 

 numbers, in the seas around our coasts ; and it has, therefore, some 

 claim to be described as a British species. Females and immature 

 birds, called red-headed smews by fishermen, are frequently met 

 with on the east coasts of England and Scotland ; males in the 

 beautiful mature plumage are very rare, it is supposed because they 

 do not approach the shore, except in very severe weather. 



In its breeding habits the smew resembles the goosander, laying 

 its eggs in the trunk of a hollow tree. Finnish Lapland is said to 

 be the western limits of its breeding range. 



Wood-Pigeon, or Ringdove. 

 Columba pal um bus. 



Head bluish grey ; sides and back of neck glossed with violet and 

 green, bounded on each side by a patch of white ; upper pails gre\ . 

 the wing-coverts broadly edged with white, forming a conspicuous 

 bar; tail-feathers dark slate-grey; under parts reddish purple, 

 pale on the belly ; bill orange, powdered with white at the base ; 

 legs and feet bright red. Length, seventeen inches. 



