76 HISTORY OF 



The species before us is as rare on the Continent as it is on 

 our islands ; but in America it is by no means uncommon, 

 being frequently seen in the southern States during winter. 

 Wilson says, the species is peculiar to America, and is said to 

 arrive in Hudson's Bay about the end of May, and builds close 

 to the lakes. The nest is composed of grass, lined with feathers 

 from the breast. It lays about six white eggs. The young, 

 when first excluded from the shell, as is the case with the other 

 species of the genus, are yellowish. 



The male Hooded Merganser has the irides gold yellow ; 

 bill, red ; head, with a crest of long silky feathers, extending 

 from the base of the bill to the occiput ; head and neck, glossy 

 black, with purple and green inflections ; hood, with a fan 

 shaped patch of white, the small end placed a little behind 

 the eye, and extending backwards nearly to the edge of the 

 hood ; breast and under side, white, the former with two bands 

 of black tapering to a point in front of the wings ; quills, deep 

 brown ; tertials, brown, consisting of five feathers, having white 

 centres, and black edges; tail, dark brown; back, black; flanks, 

 dark chesnut, with narrow transverse undulated bars of black, 

 or brownish. Female, with the crest smaller than in the male, 

 and the feathers not so numerous, ferruginous ; neck, back, 

 and wings, umber brown, varying in intensity ; throat, white ; 

 lower part of the neck, light umber brown ; belly, white ; feet 

 and legs, in both male and female, light reddish. 



The cut represents an old male in full plumage ; the vignette, 

 page 74, is taken from our specimen. 



