Duck-shooting 



197 



HOODED MERGANSER 

 (Lophodytes cucullatus) 



Adult male Head and neck, back, and scapulars, black; crest, 

 black anteriorly ; posteriorly white, with narrow black border ; 

 wing-coverts, dark gray, grading into lighter posteriorly ; tertials, 

 black, with central band of white ; wing, rump, and tail, dark 

 brown ; in front of the wing, on the sides, are two black and 

 two white crescent-shaped bars ; flanks, grayish brown, becom- 

 ing reddish toward the tail, undulated with fine black lines ; 

 under parts, pure white ; under tail-coverts, dusky ; bill, black ; 

 legs and feet, yellowish brown ; iris, yellow. 



Measurements Length, 18 inches; wing, 7.50 inches; tail, 4.20 

 inches; tarsus, i.io inches; culmen, 1.50 inches. 



Adult female Head, neck, and upper parts, light brown; crest, 

 darker ; back and tail, dark brown ; throat and under parts, 

 white ; flanks, grayish brown ; wing, brown, with white patch 

 crossed by dark bar; bill, black, with yellowish edge; feet, 

 light brown ; iris, hazel. 



Measurements Length, 16.50 inches; wing, 7.20 inches; tarsus, 

 i. 20 inches; culmen, 1.50 inches. 



Young male Head and neck, light brown, with more or less black 

 mottling ; crest, brownish white, with brown edge ; upper parts, 

 dark brown, tipped with lighter ; wings, rump, and upper tail- 

 coverts, dark brown ; a few of the tertials with stripe of white ; 

 upper breast, dusky gray ; lower breast and abdomen, white. 



Downy young Upper parts, brown, darkest on back; lower por- 

 tions of head and throat, light buff; a light grayish spot on each 

 side of back and rump ; breast, pale brown ; abdomen, white. 



Eggs Eight to twelve, pure white, and measure 2.10 by 1.70 

 inches. 



Habitat Breeds from Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Colorado, 

 probably Nevada, and Oregon, north locally to Labrador, On- 

 tario, Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan, and northern British Colum- 

 bia. Winters from Massachusetts, New York, Indiana, Illinois, 

 Minnesota, Kansas, Colorado, and British Columbia, south to 

 Lower California, Mexico, the Gulf states, and Cuba. Rare in 

 the northeastern part of its range. Recorded from St. Michael, 

 Alaska, and from Europe and Bermuda. 



