166 RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. 



Merganser niger. Briss. Orn. 6. 251. 



Black Merganser. Lath. Gen. Syn. 6. 426. B. 



LENGTH about two feet : the male has a long and 

 slender crest, which, with the head and upper part 

 of the neck, is black glossed with green : a white 

 collar surrounds the neck : the breast is reddish- 

 brown marked with black spots : at the insertion of 

 the wings are five or six large white spots, which are 

 edged with black : the speculum of the wing is white, 

 striped with two transverse black bands : the top of 

 the back and scapulars are deep black : the belly is 

 white : the thighs and rump are rayed with ashy 

 zigzag lines : the beak and irides are red : the legs 

 orange. The old female has the head, the crest, and 

 the neck of a reddish-brown : the throat white : the 

 fore part of the neck and the breast varied with ash- 

 colour and white : the upper parts and the flanks are 

 deep ash : the speculum of the wing is white, with 

 one ash-coloured band: the lower parts of the body 

 are white : the beak and legs are dull orange : the 

 irides are brown. The young males of the year have 

 the beak bright red, and the irides yellowish : the 

 head of a deep brown : the throat of an ashy-white. 

 At the age of one year they have the upper parts 

 varied with blackish ; and the neck and head tinged 

 with reddish. 



The trachea of this species in some respects resem- 

 bles that of the preceding, but it possesses only one 

 dilatation : it is of moderate length ; and, with the 

 above exception, the upper part corresponds with 

 that of the last described bird ; but below it is dif- 

 ferent : at about two inches from the lower larynx 



