526 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 



The Merginm, or Fishing Ducks^ are represented in the United States by three 

 well-established species, placed b}' modern systematists in as many genera. Two 

 of these, however, are so nearly alike that I prefer to consider them as the same : the 

 third is sufficiently distinct. 



MERGUS, LiNN.EUS. 



Mergus, Linn.eus, §yst. Nat. (1735). (Type M. castor, L.) 



Bill longer than the head, mostly red; serrations conical, acute, recurved; crest 



occipital, pointed, or depressed; tarsus about two-thirds the middle toe; tail about 



half the length of wings. 



MERGUS SERRATOR.— iin?MEMs. 



The Red-breasted Merganser. 



Mergus serralor, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 208. Wils. Am. Cm., VIII. 

 (1814)81. Nutt. Man., n. (1834) "463. Aud. Cm. Biog., V. (1839) 92. /6., Birds 

 Am., VI. (1843) 395. 



Description. 



Feathers of the forehead extending on the bill in a short obtuse angle, and fall- 

 ing far short of the end of those on the sides; the outline of the latter sloping rapidly 

 forwards, and reaching half-way from the posterior end of the lower edge of bill to 

 the nostrils, and far beyond those on the side of lower jaw; nostrils narrow, pos- 

 terior; their posterior outline opposite the end of basal third of commissure. 



Male. — Head with conspicuous pointed occipital crest; head and upper part of 

 neck, all around, dark-green; under parts reddish-white; jugulum reddish-brown, 

 streaked with black; sides conspicuously barred transversely with fine lines of black; 

 feathers anterior to wing white, margined with black; white of wing crossed by two 

 bars of black; iris red. 



Female. — Head with compressed occipital crest; chestnut-brown; body above 

 ash ; beneath reddish-white ; the Mack at base of secondaries exposed ; outer tertials 

 white, edged with black. 



Length, twenty-three and twenty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, eight and 

 sixtj' one-hundredths; tarsus, one and eighty one-hundredths; commissure, two 

 and seventy-six one-hundredths inches. 



ffab. — Whole of North America and Europe. 



This species is quite abundant on our coast in the autumn 

 and winter months. It does not appear to be gregarious to 

 a great extent ; for seldom more than three or four individu- 

 als are observed together. It is an expert diver, swimming 

 to a great distance beneath the water at the least alarm, 

 and, when appearing at the surface, usually only thrusting 

 its head out to reconnoitre. I have seen it swimming, with 

 only the bill and upper part of its head above water, in the 



