58 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



THE TRUE MERGANSERS. GENUS MERGANSER. 



Merganser, Briss. Orn. vi. p. 230 (1760). 

 Type, M. merganser (Linn.). 



Like the preceding genus, the Mergansers have the culmen, 

 or ridge of the bill, longer than the tarsus, and, according to 

 Count Salvador}, the serrations on both mandibles are very 

 conspicuous and tooth-like, and are strongly directed back- 

 wards at the tips. 



The range of the genus is very peculiar, for while it is princi- 

 pally a northern form, isolated species occur in the southern 

 hemisphere, such as M. brasilianus, an inhabitant of South- 

 eastern Brazil, and M. australis, confined to the Auckland 

 Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. 



I. THE GOOSANDER. MERGANSER MERGANSER. 



Mergus merganser. Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 208 (1766) ; Dresser, 

 B. Eur. vi. p. 685, pi. 452 (1875); B. O. U. List Br. B. 

 p. 136 (1883) ; Seeb. Br. B. iii. p. 625 (1885); Saunders, 

 ed. Yarr. Br. B. iv. p. 488 (1885); id. Man. Br. B. p. 459 

 (1889) ; Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B. part xxiii. (1893). 



Merganser castor, Macg. Br. B. v. p. 207 (1852); Salvad. Cat. 

 B. Brit. Mus. xxvii. p. 472 (1895). 



Adult Male. General colour above black and white, the sca- 

 pulars and mantle being black, extending a little on to the hind- 

 neck ; back dark slaty-grey, as also the rump and upper tail- 

 coverts ; the sides of the rump ashy-whitish, with fine dusky 

 frecklings ; wing-coverts pure white, the greater series with 

 concealed black bases ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and 

 quills black, the inner primaries with a little whitish near the 

 end of the inner web, like the primary-coverts; secondaries 

 white, the inner ones bordered with black, the innermost 

 somewhat sickle-shaped, and black like the scapulars ; tail 

 slaty-grey ; head and throat black, with a green gloss, not so 

 distinct on the sides of the face and throat ; neck all round 

 and the under surface of the body from the lower throat 

 downwards white, with a delicate tinge of pale salmon-colour, 

 more distinct in the breeding-season ; bill deep vermilion, 

 black along the culmen and on the nail ; feet vermilion ; iris 



