HOODED MERGANSER. 24$ 



[It is truly astonishing with what pertinacity Montagu 

 adheres to the opinion that the dun diver is a species 

 distinct from the goosander. Had this excellent 

 ornithologist had the same opportunities for examining 1 

 these birds that we have, he would never have published 

 an opinion, which, in this quarter of the globe, would 

 subject one, even from the vulgar, to the imputation of 

 ignorance.] * 



286. MERGUS CUC0LLATVS, LINNAEUS AND WILSON. 



HOODED MERGANSER. 

 WILSON, PLATE LXIX. FIG. I. 



THIS species, on the sea coast, is usually called the 

 hairy head. They are more common, however, along 

 our lakes and fresh water rivers than near the sea ; 

 tracing up creeks, and visiting mill ponds, diving per- 

 petually for their food. In the creeks and rivers of 

 the Southern States, they are very frequently seen during 

 the winter. Like the red-breasted, they are migratory, 

 the manners, food, and places of resort of both being 

 very much alike. 



The hooded merganser is eighteen inches in length, 

 and two feet in- extent; bill, blackish red, narrow, 

 thickly toothed, and furnished with a projecting nail at 

 the extremity ; the head is ornamented with a large 

 circular crest, which the bird has the faculty of raising 

 or depressing at pleasure ; the fore -part of this, as far 

 as the eye, is black, thence to the hindhead, white, and 

 elegantly tipt with black ; it is composed of two separate 

 rows of feathers, radiating from each side of the head, 

 and which may be easily divided by the hand ; irides, 

 golden ; eye, very small ; neck, black, which spreads 

 to and over the back ; part of the lesser wing-coverts, 

 very pale ash, under which the greater coverts and 

 secondaries form four alternate bars of black and white ; 



* The concluding paragraph, marked off with brackets, is an 

 addition by ]Mr Ord. . 



