THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 101 



the middle of the crest; upper parts of the body, black; 

 drooping feathers on the inner part of wing with white 

 shafts; bend of wing gray and a white bar near the middle; 

 tail, dusky; breast, white; two bands of black reach 

 around from the back, but do not quite unite to form 

 collars; rest of under surface white; sides, finely mottled 

 with brown and brown and black lines; thighs, dusky. 

 The female is not nearly so brightly marked; the head is 

 rusty brown; back, dusky, with a white patch on the 

 wing; breast and sides of the body, gray; throat and belly, 

 white. 



The birds nest in hollow trees or stumps near water; 

 the nest is built of moss, grass and leaves and lined with 

 down. The eggs are from eight to ten in number, of a 

 yellowish white, two by one and three-fourths inches in 

 size. 



Their breeding location is the whole of North America 

 and in winter they are found more towards the south. 

 In New Jersey they are not abundant, occurring during 

 migrations and in winter; they are more numerous in the 

 interior, prefering dead waters. 



Merganser, Red-breasted, or Sheldrake. Length, 

 twenty-two inches; extent, thirty-two inches; bill, one 

 and three fourths inches in length and red sealing wax in 

 color; upper surface as in the preceding, but the head 

 crested and several white spots on the shoulders; under 

 parts, white, with a rusty band across the breast; most 

 of the feathers within the band centered with black. 

 The female has the head rusty, back gray with white 

 wing bar and shoulder spots. 



The birds breed from the northern border of the 

 United States northward and migrate southward in the 

 fall. In New Jersey they are winter residents, but more 

 numerous during migrations. They occur in considerable 

 numbers in November, December and April. 



Mother Carey^s Chicken. See Wilson's Petrel. 



