AMERICAN MERGANSER 349 



white soon after death; flanks, white, finely vermiculated with grey; belly, white, 

 often mottled with grey; feet, red, claws, dusky. Tail and upper coverts, ashy grey; 

 under coverts, white. Wings. Lesser coverts, those near edge of wing, black, those 

 next to middle coverts, white; middle coverts, white; greater coverts, outer ones, 

 black, inner ones, black with broad white tips; secondaries, outer ones, black, 

 central ones, white, inner ones, white, narrowly margined with black (inner part of 

 wing, mainly white, with single black bar, formed by black bases of greater 

 coverts); primaries, dull brownish black, darker at tips and on outer webs; tertials, 

 brownish black, outer ones, whitish margined with black; lining, white, dusky at 

 edge of wing; axillars, white. 



ECLIPSE PLUMAGE: The moult into eclipse starts in May and when at its climax, 

 in August or September, the male closely resembles the female even to the ex- 

 tent of having developed a similar, though somewhat shorter crest; the colour of 

 the head is cinnamon brown as in the female Red-breasted Merganser. The full- 

 plumaged wing is renewed. 



AUTUMN PLUMAGE: From the female-like plumage of the eclipse, the adult male 

 in early autumn commences a moult towards winter plumage. The wing is as in 

 winter plumage. In early stages new green feathers should be looked for on the 

 head, which is mottled in appearance, green and brown feathers being intermingled, 

 and some white ones on the throat. (A specimen at the Royal Ontario Museum 

 of Zoology taken on October 26, at Lake Nippissing, Ont., shows a thick coating 

 of dusky down on the cheeks, chin, throat, and foreneck, with which are mixed 

 the remaining reddish feathers of the eclipse and some new green feathers of the 

 winter plumage; other specimens, during the eclipse do not show this down, nor 

 do birds during later stages of the autumn moult.) The new, black feathers of 

 winter plumage begin to appear on the back and inner scapulars; similarly new 

 white feathers can be seen on neck and outer scapulars; and a few vermiculated 

 ones appear on sides at rear. As the moult progresses, head takes on more and 

 more dark green feathers; back becomes mostly black, with a few old brown-grey 

 feathers remaining; outer scapulars still retain some grey feathers; sides are mostly 

 white, with a few old grey feathers. By December most adult males are in full 

 winter plumage; backward birds will retain a few brownish feathers on throat 

 and back. 



ADULT FEMALE. Head and upper neck, reddish brown, sharply defined against 

 coiour of lower neck; crown and elongated crest, dark reddish brown; chin, 

 tliroat and area at base of bill, w r hite, often washed with reddish brown, occasionally 

 entirely reddish brown; lower neck, ashy grey behind, and ashy, barred with 

 whitish, in front; bill, dull red, dusky on ridge and nail; featheration of bill and 

 position of nostril same as in male (fig. 54); eye, dull red or yellowish. Body. Back, 

 scapulars and rump, ashy grey; sides, ashy, barred with whitish; chest and breast, 

 white, faintly tinged with pinkish salmon, which fades to white soon after death; belly, 

 white, sometimes mottled with grey; feet, dull reddish, wifh dusky webs. Tail and 

 upper coverts, ashy grey; under coverts, white, mottled and flecked outwardly with 

 ashy. Wings. Lesser and middle coverts, ashy grey; inner greater coverts, basally 

 black, with broad white tips, and edged narrowly with dusky, outer ones, black; 

 secondaries, with white speculum, outer secondaries black; primaries, brownish 

 black, lighter on inner webs; tertials, grey, the innermost, darkest; lining, grey and 

 white; axillars, white. 



