GOOSANDER. 401 



tion as she can conveniently enter. The person that way- 

 lays the bird for her eggs, places against a fir or pine tree, 

 somewhere near the bank of the river, a decayed trunk, 

 with a hole in its middle ; the bird enters and lays her 

 eggs in it ; presently the peasant comes, and takes away 

 the eggs, leaving, however, one or two. The bird returns, 

 and, finding but a single egg, lays two or three more ; she 

 is again robbed as before but a few are left at last for the 

 increase of her family. As soon as the eggs are hatched, 

 the mother takes the chicks gently in her bill, carries and 

 lays them down at the foot of the tree, where she teaches 

 them the way to the river, in which they instantly swim 

 with an astonishing facility." 



The Goosander is well known in Russia, and frequents 

 the large inland waters of Germany ; it is found also in 

 winter in Holland, France, Switzerland, Provence, Italy, 

 and Sicily. It has been observed in the vicinity of the 

 Caucasus, in North-Western India, and Nepaul. M. Tem- 

 minck says it is found in Japan. It is well known to the 

 naturalists of the United States ; and is found in North 

 America, Hudson's Bay, Greenland, and Iceland. 



In the adult male the bill is vermilion red, the superior 

 ridge of the upper mandible and the nail black ; the irides 

 red; the head and upper part of the neck rich shining 

 green, with the occipital feathers elongated ; upper part of 

 the back and the scapulars black ; lower part of the back, 

 upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers ash grey ; point of the 

 wing, and all the wing-coverts white ; wing-primaries 

 nearly black ; secondaries and tertials white ; lower part of 

 the neck in front, and all the under surface of the body 

 delicate reddish-buff; legs and toes orange red, the webs 

 rather darker ; the whole length of the bird is twenty-six 

 inches and a half; from the point of the wing to the end 

 of the longest quill-feather eleven inches. 



VOL. in. D D 



