63G MERGUS 



Hob. High north of Europe and Asia in the breeding 

 season, in winter visiting Britain, Central and Southern Europe 

 to the Mediterranean ; Central Asia east to Japan and 

 Mongolia; China and India in winter. The American form, 

 M. americanus, Cass, differs very slightly in having a black bar 

 across the wings at the base of the greater coverts. 



Frequents fresh water during the breeding season, being 

 found on the sea-coast only in the winter. Its cry is loud and 

 harsh, chiefly uttered when the bird is on the wing. It feeds 

 principally on fish, but also eats water-insects and larvae. It 

 usually nests in a hollow tree, and readily takes to a nest-box, 

 but sometimes on the ground under a stone, the nest being 

 well lined with down, and late in April or early in May deposits 

 8 to 12 eggs, which are warm yellowish white, smooth in texture, 

 and measure about 2*65 by 1*81. 



879. RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. 

 MERGUS SERRATOR. 



Mergus serrator, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 208 (1766) ; Naum. xii. p. 333 ; 

 Taf. 325 ; Hewitson, ii. p. 437, pi. cxix. fig. 2 ; Gould, B. of E. v. 

 pi. 385 ; id. B. of Gt. Brit. v. pi. 35 ; Dresser, vi. p. 693, pi. 453, 

 David and Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 511 ; (Salvadori), Cat. B. Br. Mus. 

 xxvii. p. 479 ; Tacz. F. 0. Sib. 0. p. 1206 ; (Blanf.), F. Brit. LwL 

 Birds, iv. p. 470 ; (Ridgway), p. 89 ; Saunders, p. 473 ; Lilford, vii. 

 p. 139, pi. 59 ; Seebohm, B. Jap..Emp. p. 258. 



Harle huppd, French ; Merganso, Portug. ; Pato de sierra,. 

 Span. ; Smergo minore, Ital. ; Mittlere Sdger, German ; ZaagbeJc, 

 Dutch ; Toppet-skallesluger, Dan. ; Siland, Norweg. ; Smdskrake, 

 Pracka, Swed. ; Toppond, Icel. ; Vuokta-koahi, Lapp. ; Koskelo,. 

 Finn. ; Krahal, Russ. ; Umi-aisa, Jap. 



ad. (Finland). Head and upper neck black glossed with purple and 

 green ; coronal and nuchal feathers much elongated ; central neck white 

 with a narrow black line behind ; back, scapulars, and long inner secondaries 

 black with a purple gloss ; rump and upper tail-coverts white vermicu- 

 lated with black ; wing-coverts and secondaries white, the latter bordered 

 with black on the outer web ; two black bars across the wing ; primaries 

 and tail dark greyish brown ; lower neck and upper breast reddish brown 

 streaked with blackish ; feathers in front of shoulder white broadly 

 margined with black ; under parts very pale warm buff, the flanks white 

 vermiculated with black ; bill vermilion, the edge of the mandible and 

 nail dusky ; legs vermilion ; iris red. Culmen 2'4, wing 9'5, tail 3'1, 

 tarsus 2 P inch. In the summer the male resembles the female, but is- 

 larger, and the abdomen and scapulars are differently coloured. The 



