270 MERGUS SERRATOR. 



on the sides of the head and a bluer sheen elsewhere. Along 

 the middle of the crown and occiput runs a comparatively 

 narrow line of excessively narrow, more or less disintegrated- 

 webbed, elongated feathers, of which the longest are over three 

 inches in length, formiug a conspicuous crest. The rest of 

 the neck, all round, to just the base, pure white, with a couspi- 

 cuous narrow black line down the centre of its hinder aspect. 

 At the base of the neck a light brownish-rufous or pale brown- 

 ish-chestnut band extends all round, narrower behind, and 

 broadening into a crop patch in front. This band is streaked 

 longitudinally with blackish brown. The interscapulary 

 region and upper back, the extreme sides of the breast and the 

 scapulars, velvet black. Outside the scapulars and between 

 these and the wing there is a conspicuous patch of long white 

 feathers. The primaries, aud their greater coverts (which latter 

 are darkest), the shoulder of the wing and the lesser coverts 

 just above the carpus, blackish brown. The rest of the lesser 

 and median coverts pure white ; the secondary greater coverts 

 black, all except the first three broadly tipped with white, but 

 leaving a portion of their black bases visible below the white 

 median coverts, thus forming the first black bar across the 

 white of the wing. The secondaries black, all except the first 

 three very broadly tipped with white ; here again this white 

 does not reacli quite as far up as the white tips of the greater 

 coverts, and thus a second transverse black bar is formed. The 

 tertiaries, or as some call tliem the elongated inner secon- 

 daries, are (except the last three which are black) pure white, 

 conspicuously margined with black. The axillaries are pure 

 white. Just above the bases of these, at the sides of breast, 

 there is a remarkable tuft of feathers, pure white, but every- 

 where conspicuously margined with velvet black. The whole 

 or* the rest of the lower parts are white, with, in life, a beau- 

 tiful salmon or buffy tinge which disappears in the skin. 

 Sides and flanks also white, but very conspicuously and rather 

 coarsely vermiculated with greyish black. Middle and lower 

 back, rump and upper tail-coverts also white, but extremely ■, 

 finely, and closely vermiculated^ with dull black, so as to pro- 

 duce a general grey effect. Tail dull brown ; wing lining, ex- 

 cept along the edge of the wing aud the greater lower primary 

 coverts (which are satin grey) white. 



The female has the entire crown, occiput and crest (which 

 is similar to, but smaller than, that of the male) brown, with 

 more or less of a dull rufous or chestnut tinge, and more or 

 less of ashy towards the forehead ; the sides of the head and 

 neck all round pale dull brownish chestnut ; the chin white, 

 and the front of the throat more or less albescent. The breast 

 and entire lower parts white or pinkish white in life, only at 



