468 



the crest, the back, and a crescentic band on each side of the 

 breast all black, passing on the rump into the grey of the upper 

 tail-coverts ; tail grey-brown ; scapulars mostly white, an outer 

 black border to those on the outside ; primaries dark brown, 

 secondaries and their greater coverts black, both with white tips, 

 tertiaries grey with white borders, the first with the outer web 

 white edged with black ; marginal wing-coverts blackish, central 

 coverts white ; sides of body and flanks barred with wavy black 

 lines. After breeding the female plumage is assumed for a short 

 time. 



Female. Lores, including the eye, dark brown ; crown and nape 

 ferruginous ; upper parts brown, greyish on upper back : wings as 

 in the male; tail brown; lower parts white, breast greyish. 

 Young males resemble females except that they want the brown 

 patch on the lores. 



Bill bluish lead-colour ; nail generally brown, often paler ; irides 

 brown ; legs and feet lavender-grey. 



Length 17*5 ; tail 3 ; wing 8 ; tarsus 1/3 ; culmen 1*2 ; bill 

 from gape 1'7. Females smaller ; wing 7'25. 



Distribution. The breeding quarters of this bird are in the 

 extreme North of Europe and Asia ; but in winter it visits Central 

 and Southern Europe, Central Asia, China, and Northern India. 

 Within our limits the Smew is fairly common in winter in the 

 Punjab, and is found in Sind, Northern Guzerat, the North-west 

 Provinces, and Oudh. Jerdon records it from Cuttack, and I met 

 with it more than once near Eaniganj in Bengal, but it has not 

 been observed farther east nor in Southern India. 



Habits, 6fc. The Smew is generally found in India from 

 November to March in small or moderate sized flocks, which 

 haunt the larger jheels. It is a splendid diver and swimmer, and 

 when it takes to flight it generally prefers to dive a rapid flyer ; 

 its food, chiefly fish and water insects, is obtained by diving. The 

 majority of the birds seen in India are immature. 



Genus MERGANSER, Brisson, 1760. 



Bill much longer than in Mergus, narrow and strongly hooked 

 at the end ; nail as broad as the bill ; nostril situated about to 

 | the length of the upper mandible from the base : the serrations 

 representing lamellae with their points directed backwards. 

 Head crested. Tail cuneate, of 18 feathers. Two caeca. 



About six species are known, ranging throughout the greater 

 part of the Northern hemisphere and certain tracts in the Southern ; 

 two occur in India. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Head and upper neck black glossed with 

 green (Males). 



a'. Lower parts white throughout M. castor, p. 469. 



b'. Upper breast rufous with blackish marks. M. serrator, p. 470. 



