GOOSANDER. 



399 



reddish-buff; legs and toes orange-red, the webs rather 

 darker; the whole length of the bird twenty-six inches 

 and a half ; from the point of the wing to the end of the 

 longest quill-feather eleven inches. 



In the female the bill and irides like those of the male, 

 but not so bright in colour ; head and upper part of the 

 neck reddish-brown ; the occipital feathers elongated ; the 

 back, scapulars, tertials, wing-coverts, rump, upper-tail- 

 coverts and tail-feathers ash-grey ; wing-primaries lead- 

 grey ; the secondaries white ; chin and lower part of the 

 neck in front white ; breast, and under surface of the 

 body tinged with buff; sides and flanks ash-grey ; legs 

 and "feet orange-red. The female is rather smaller than 

 the male. 



The young birds in their plumage resemble the female, 

 but young males in this state may be readily ascertained 

 by feeling down the neck in the line of the windpipe with 

 the finger and thumb ; males have two enlargements on 

 the tube, which females do not possess, their windpipe 

 being uniform in size throughout its length. Young males 

 do not assume the plumage by which that sex is distin- 

 guished till the second year. 



