162 



COMMON MERGANSER. 



3. pi 65. Mont. Orn. Diet. I. and Sup. Bern. Brit. Birds, 



2. 257. 



Goosander. W'tls. Amer. Orn. v. viii.^. 7l.pl. Ixviii. f. 2. 

 Merganser gulo. Leach, Brit. Mus. Catal. p. 36. 



ABOUT thirty inches in length : the male has a 

 large short-tufted crest : the beak of a deep red, but 

 black above near the hook : the irides are reddish- 

 brown, sometimes red : the head and upper part of 

 the neck are black glossed with greenish : the lower 

 part of the neck, the breast, belly, vent, and the wing- 

 coverts farthest removed from the body are of a pure 

 white ; shaded, for a short period after moulting, with 

 a beautiful rosy-yellow tinge on the lower parts of 

 the body : the top of the back, and the scapulars 

 nearest the body are deep black : the bend of the 

 wing dusky : the greater coverts edged with black : 

 the back and tail ash-coloured: the legs of a bright 

 vermilion. The female differs considerably: the crest 

 is long and slender : the head and upper part of the 

 neck are reddish-brown : the throat is pure white : 

 the lower part of the neck, the breast, the sides, and 

 the thighs are whitish-ash : the belly and vent are 

 yellowish-white : all the upper parts are deep ash : 

 the speculum of the wing is white : the beak is dirty 

 red : the irides brown : the legs are yellowish-red ; 

 the membranes are ashy-red. The young males do 

 not differ from the females : at the age of one year 

 they are distinguished by some dusky spots, which 

 are disposed on the white of the throat : the red on 

 the neck is then terminated by a deeper colour : there 

 are some dusky feathers on the top of the head ; and 

 the white plumes of the wing-coverts begin to appear. 



