The Mergansers. 411 



Mr. Dresser. He writes : " In the plu- 

 mage that the male of this species assumes 

 for a short time during the summer, it 

 resembles the female, but is distinguish- 

 able by its larger size, the different colour 

 of the abdomen and of the scapulars." 

 These descriptions are conflicting, and I 

 regret that I have seen no specimens of 

 this Merganser, in post-nuptial plumage, 

 to enable me to clear up the question. 



The adult female has the crown and 

 the crest deep reddish brown ; the sides 

 of the head and of the neck, chestnut 

 mottled with white ; the chin, throat and 

 foreneck, white mottled with chestnut ; 

 the hindneck reddish brown. The whole 

 upper plumage, the first and second series 

 of upper wing-coverts and the scapulars 

 are dark brown, each feather margined 

 with ashy. The tail is ashy brown. The 

 lower plumage is white, the sides of the 

 body brown with greyish margins. The 

 axillaries are white; the under wing- 

 coverts nearly entirely so. The outer 

 feathers of the larger series of upper wing- 

 coverts are white, tipped with black, and 

 with blackish bases, partially concealed. 

 The visible portions of the bases of these 

 coverts do not, however, form a black 

 bar across the wing, as in the male, owing 



