200 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIII. 
size than either of the Mergansers, will at once serve to distinguish it 
from all other species of duck found in India. 
MERGUS ALBELLUS. 
The Smew. 
Mergus albellus.—Salvadori, “ Cat., Birds of British Museum,” Vol. 
XXVII, p. 464; Blanford, “ Avifauna of British India,” IV, p. 467 ; 
Oates, “ Game Birds of India,’ II, p. 413. 
Mergellus albellus.—Jerdon, “ Birds of India,’ III, p. 818; Hume, 
“ Str. Feath.” I, p. 265 ; Butler, Hume, zbid, LV, p. 31 ; Butler, bid, 
VII, p. 188; Ball, eb¢d, p. 235; Hume, Cat. No. 973; Hume and 
Marshall, Game Birds, III, p. 293 ; Reid, “ Str. Feath.’ X, p. 95 ce 
Barnes, ‘‘ Birds of Bombay,” p. 417. 
Description : Adult Male—A large patch from base of both mandi- 
bles to back of eye and including base of ear-coverts black, with green 
reflections ; subordinate and lateral feathers of the crest the same, the 
black extending in a narrow line, more or less, on to the sides of 
the head ;a crescentic black band above the upper back descending 
down on either side of the breast ; back black, duller on the lower 
back and changing to brown-grey on the rump and upper  tail-coverts, 
where the feathers are dark centred ; rest of head and whole lower 
surface white ; under aspect of tail pale grey, the feathers white- 
shafted except at the tips ; primaries brown, dark shafted above, white 
shafted below ; outer secondaries black with white tips, the next two 
or three white, the innermost silver grey with dark shafts and white 
outer edges ; greater coverts black, those over the secondaries tipped 
with white ; median white, the remainder black; scapulars white, 
the outer webs edged with black, giving them a barred appearance, 
and with a black bar across the base, from the centre of the upper 
back, past the shoulder of the wing and on to the sides of the body ; 
these and the flanks are white, very finely barred with black. 
Bill bluish lead-colour ; nail generally brown, often paler ; irides 
brown ; legs and feet lavender-grey ” (Blanford). 
‘ Bill ofa bluish lead-colour ; irides bluish-white, legs and feet 
bluish-lead, webs darker ”’ (Salvadori). 
“In fourteen specimens I have recorded the irides as brown or 
deep brown, in ene as red-brown, and I have observed no other colour. 
Macgillivray records it from fresh specimens examined by himself 
